Blog

Toxic Dinners: Kimana’s pesticide problem and the way forward

By James Njuguna Wangunyu

I first met Loibor when she was supervising casual labourers spraying what seemed like a healthy, shiny tomato crop. Five days later, she sold a truckload of the crop to buyers who aggregated the produce to sell in Muthurwa and Kongowea markets in Nairobi and Mombasa, respectively. Loibor’s farm is one of many in this area of Kimana, Kajiado South, which is a region leading in tomato production in Kenya.

Pesticides and Safety Precautions

On this particular day, I took a keen interest in the products Loibor was using to spray the tomato crop. To my surprise, among the products was Tiger, a broad-spectrum insecticide used to control leaf miners and tuta absoluta (types of insect pests) on tomatoes. The insecticide’s active ingredient is Chlorfenapyr, a chemical compound of cyanide. It poses significant risks to human health, including acute toxicity, skin and eye irritation, and potential chronic effects such as neurotoxicity and liver damage.

My investigation revealed a disturbing trend. Out of the 20 tomato farms I visited within a kilometre of Loibor’s farm, six were using the same products as Loibor. The other 14 farms used Dudu-Ace-Amectin, a pesticide containing Abamectin and Acetamiprid as active ingredients. Both chemicals are classified as Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHP) and have serious health implications.

On another farm, I encountered a fungicide named Fungo Force. It contains 64% Mancozeb and 8% Metalaxyl. Mancozeb, a fungicide, has been globally condemned for its associated health side effects.  The United States Environmental Protection Agency has classified Ethylenethiurea (ETU), a breakdown product of Mancozeb, as a probable human carcinogen. The potential neurotoxicity and malfunctions have been found in the offspring of test animals, highlighting the grave long-term health risks associated with these pesticides.

The problem with this picture is that not only are highly hazardous chemicals being used, but also safety precautions are also not followed. For example, farmers rarely wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when spraying. Many do not know that they should, and even when they do, they are barred by high purchase costs.

Additionally, the intervals between spraying and harvest are not followed. Many tomato farmers harvest within hours to days of spraying and sell to the market. In the case of Loibor, she harvested and took it to market in five days instead of waiting for the recommended pre-harvest interval time.

Declining bee populations in Kimana

The insecticide Abamectin is highly toxic to bees. This might explain why the farmers from our monthly farmers’ roundtable noted declining bee populations in the area. Over the past 15 years, beekeepers have observed a sharp decline in honeybee migration swarms. A beekeeper in the group notes that it now takes longer for bees to colonize his newly installed hives.  Additionally, he reports many bees dead by the hive entrances. We hypothesized this is due to the ongoing spraying of bee-toxic pesticides at nearby farms.  The decline of pollinators, critical players in the food production ecosystem, should worry everyone, especially in Kenya, where food insecurity is a national reality.

The fungicide Mancozeb poses high risks to birds and mammals, non-targeted arthropods, and soil microorganisms. This is a big concern in the Kimana area, a significant bird migratory corridor in East Africa and home to the Amboseli National Park, a UNESCO-declared biosphere.

Beyond insecticides and fungicides, herbicides are also used extensively on many farms in the area. For example, glyphosate use in weed control is often marketed as “smart farming.” However, it threatens the food production ecosystem by interfering with natural habitats for pollinators and other beneficial microorganisms. It is also identified as a probable cause of cancer.

The Porous Borders Problem

The Kimana region is unique because many pesticides used in the area have crossed the border from Tanzania. While Kenya has banned some of the pesticides mentioned above, Tanzania has yet to. The East Africa Community lacks a unified policy on pesticide regulation, with each country having its own regulatory framework: Kenya operates under the Pest Control Products Act, managed by the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB), Tanzania under the Tropical Pesticides Research Institute Act, and Uganda under the Agricultural Chemicals (Control) Act.

While there are calls to harmonize pesticide regulations to promote safer use and facilitate trade across member states, implementation is weak. Challenges such as varying enforcement capacities, resource constraints, and the need for improved coordination persist.

Taking matters into our own hands

Beyond waiting for the national government or EAC governments to keep us safe, groups of farmers are coming together to take matters into their own hands. For example, our farmer group based in Kimana is embracing agroecology.

We have started by learning and applying agroecological techniques and practices in kitchen gardens. We started small because, before this, many farmers did not know it was possible to farm without hazardous chemicals. The situation is so bad that some farmers are learning for the first time that some insects, such as ladybugs, are beneficial.

Such farmer groups need more support through training and equipment as they have the potential to be agents of change. In addition, farmers need to visit other farms that have implemented agroecological practices to see how to approach soil health and biodiversity issues at the farm level. As they say, to see is to believe.

 

(James Njuguna is a farmer, beekeeper and the Co-Founder of Center for Rangelands Management, an organization championing sustainable land use practices in Africa)