Players in the agriculture sector have called for partnerships which will strengthen and push for regulatory policies to address challenges in pest control and food security.
The stakeholders, including the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB), aak-GROW/ Crop Life Kenya, the Cereal Growers Association (CGA), the Fresh Produce Consortium of Kenya (FPCK), and the Kenya National Academy of Sciences (KNAS), held a forum aimed at addressing challenges in the sector like pest control and food security for a sustainable agricultural practice.
Participants at the forum emphasized collaboration among various stakeholders to create a unified approach to address challenges surrounding food security and working together across sectors to develop a comprehensive strategy that would benefit both farmers and consumers.
During the discussion, the partners emphasized the role of sustainable agriculture in achieving food security as it explored innovative farming practices such as minimum/zero tillage that preserve soil moisture, structure, and soil biodiversity.
Speaking at the event in Nairobi on Tuesday, Marketing and Communications Lead at the Cereal Growers Association Julius Nyabiacha said that sustainability in agriculture should entail collaborative efforts, including the proper use of available technologies.
“There is a need for dynamism where stakeholders should embrace flexibility in their methods based on the changing times and technology,” he said.
Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) CEO Fredrick Muchiri stressed the importance of fact-based dissemination of information and transparency in the local food safety standards.
“When the media are doing their reporting, it should be balanced based on facts, since in the past years, there has been quite a number of misleading information pertaining to the use of pesticides in the country which impacts the country negatively in the fresh produce export markets like the European Union (EU),” he said.
Further, stakeholders assessed the effectiveness of current regulations and considered how improvements could support sustainable practices while ensuring safety and efficacy in the sector.
Muchiri lauded pesticide regulations in Kenya while noting that the country has highly trained scientists who conduct risk assessments of pesticides before authorisation for use, hence making other countries come and learn how the country is operating.
“Decisions on pesticide regulations are based on scientific data and in adherence to global standards. The regulations provide room for review of products in the event that new scientific data is presented,” he said, adding that Kenya has one of the strongest regulations on pesticides in Africa.
At the same time, he said that the decisions made by the PCPB are guided by the weight of scientific evidence as generated by scientific compilation as compared globally.
He noted that the Pest Control Products Act that is applied in the country, was borrowed from Canada and is doing better in Canada; currently, it is being reviewed to align with the Kenyan Constitution and the current global matters regarding pest control and regulation.
Muchiri said that once the law comes into place, it will address quite a number of operational gaps, functional operational gaps since it has captured the minimum qualification for people to operate Agrovets and also food importation, which will undergo food security in order to safeguard the health of the citizens.
He termed the misuse of pesticides, abuse of herbicides, pest attacks, lack of extension staff in most counties, and lack of knowledge on produce standards as major challenges faced by farmers, leading to lower yields and negatively impacting the sector, which are solved through awareness creation and serious sensitisation in the counties.
aak-GROW/ Crop Life Kenya CEO Eric Kimunguyi rooted for the need for partnerships with the private sector to address the challenges faced by small-scale farmers, a move which will enhance food security.
“We are in an era where misinformation and disinformation travel fast; hence, there is a need for the industry to correct this by ensuring facts are communicated adequately. In addition, we implore the media to uphold responsible reporting on the subject of pesticides, as negative reporting has adverse effects on farmers.”
He highlighted that the role of crop protection innovations helps in enhancing sustainable agricultural practices, which are essentials for long-term agricultural viability.
By Sharon Atieno
