• Expert toxicologist says highly hazardous pesticides have been banned in the EU and the US, but are still sold and widely used in Kenya.
• Bollmohr said agrovet dealers recommend the use of HHP to unsuspecting farmers.
Image: JOHN CHESOLI
Kenya's staple foods — maize, sukuma wiki and tomatoes — are often grown using highly hazardous pesticides.
The World Health Organization says highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) are dangerous to human health, animals and the environment.
Prolonged exposure can cause developmental disorders and cancer, among other effects of poisoning. In some countries, suicides are linked to HHPs, according to experts whose report, as individuals, was published by WHO under the title 'International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management Guidelines on Highly Hazardous Pesticides'.
They said it does not reflect the policy of WHO.
In many countries, HHPs are found in food, which risks the health of consumers. They are especially dangerous to farmers and land workers exposed to them.
Speaking during a webinar on pesticides in Kenya on Friday last week, Dr Silke Bollmohr, a toxicologist and lead scientist at EcoTrac Consulting, issued the warning against pesticides.
The session was organised by the Route to Food Initiative to educate the public on the state of pesticides as the world marked the World Food Safety Day.
The findings followed research done in conjunction with the Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (Koan). It showed excessive use of HHPs by farmers in Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Machakos and Meru counties.
“A recent study we did in collaboration with Koan showed that most farmers in these counties heavily used highly hazardous pesticides on Kenya’s most important crops — maize, sukuma wiki, tomatoes and cabbages,” Bollmohr said.
She said these HHPs have been banned in the EU and most recently in the US, but are still available and sold in Kenya.
Bollmohr said the pesticide present in these vegetables is not registered for use in vegetables.
“Agrovet dealers, however, recommend this HHP pesticide for use to unsuspecting farmers,” she said.
Bollmohr's presentation showed pesticide residues in tomatoes and sukuma wiki that far exceeded recommended Maximum Residues Levels (MRLs).
Farmer Edward Njaibu in Rumuruti spoke of their problems on the ground.
He said pesticide multinationals and agrovet dealers have "brainwashed farmers" into over-reliance on chemical pesticides to protect their crops. This makes farming expensive, he said.
Njaibu said farmers have little or no information on the safety of pesticides, including the need for protective gear during spraying.
“Misuse of these pesticides is also evident in the production of crops such as cabbages and tomatoes,” he said.
Labour rights coordinator Denile Samuel of the Women on Farms Project in South Africa shared her experience working with female farmworkers.
She said many women are not aware of the health issues caused by exposure to toxic chemical pesticides due to lack of access to protective equipment.
The webinar was organised by the Route to Food Initiative to educate the public on the state of pesticides as the world marked the World Food Safety Day.
(Edited by V. Graham)
Image: FILE