The symposium titled “Pesticides, Environment and Public Health in East Africa – Towards Sustainable Alternatives,” held in November 2025, brought together a diverse group of actors including scientists, civil society organisations, and policymakers from across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Convened by Maseno University and the University of Oslo, with support from partners such as Greenpeace Africa, PELUM Kenya, the Route to Food Initiative, and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the event responded to growing regional concern over the widespread use of toxic synthetic pesticides and their far-reaching impacts on human health, ecosystems, and food systems. Discussions were grounded in emerging scientific evidence and lived experiences, highlighting how pesticide exposure continues to occur through food, water, and environmental pathways, with consequences that extend beyond immediate health risks to include biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and disruption of aquatic systems.
A Programme of Heinrich Boell Foundation
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