• Only 10 per cent of farmers surveyed in Central, Eastern and Rift Valley regions use biopesticides.
• 90 per cent do not use them because they are slow to act, not readily available and are expensive, study says.
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A study has shown that farmers do not use environment friendly biopesticides because they are expensive and not readily available.
The study, published in Pest Management Science, found that those who use biopesticides cited effectiveness, recommendations by advisory services and perception of safety as key reasons for their choice.
“But those that do not use them thought they were ineffective or slow to act, as well as not readily available or too expensive,” the study showed.
Scientists have conducted new research which provides new insight into the reasons why smallholder farmers in Kenya do not adopt safer-to-use biopesticides to protect their crops from devastating pests and diseases such as fall armyworm on maize and whitefly on coffee.
Kate Constantine, the lead researcher, said that while only 10 per cent of farmers surveyed in Central, Eastern and Rift Valley use biopesticides, 98 per cent of those that do not would be willing to try them in future as part of an integrated pest management strategy.
“We found out that farmers would be willing to pay an average of 9.6 per cent above their current expenditure on a chemical pesticide, for a biopesticide product that is just as effective. This equates to Sh500 above current chemical pesticide expenditures per cropping season,” she said.
Monica Kansiiime who led the survey work said 87 per cent of farmers in household interviews reported using chemical pesticides to manage various crop pests, with significantly more men than women using them. Almost half of respondents showed awareness of biopesticides but current use in the survey was low.
“While farmers viewed both pesticides and biopesticides as costly, they invested in the former due to their perceived effectiveness. In order to promote greater uptake of biopesticides, addressing farmers’ awareness and their perceptions of effectiveness is important, as well as increasing the knowledge of those providing advice and ensuring registered products are locally available at competitive prices,” she said.
Of farmers who reported using chemical pesticides, 42 per cent stated that someone within their household had experienced negative health effects after applying chemical pesticides in the last 12 months.
The study found out that the commonest symptoms reported by those experiencing negative health effects were skin irritation (38 per cent), headaches (28 per cent), dizziness (25 per cent) and stomach ache (eight per cent), while others reported sneezing, chest problems, fatigue, coughing and sore throat.
Constantine said widespread and continued use of chemical pesticides is not sustainable, as they are harmful to human health and the environment.
“Although biopesticides currently only cover approximately four per cent of the global pesticide market, they could play a significant role in IPM strategies particularly when considering biopesticide compatibility with a range of other pest management approaches,” said Constantine.
Edited by Henry Makori