Farmers have been told to use lime and organic fertiliser to restore soil fertility.
Agriculture Chief Administrative Secretary Andrew Tuimur on Friday said Kenyan soils are acidic, particularly in the North and South Rift regions, which are the country's breadbasket.
"Farmers need to lime their soils or embrace organic fertiliser to help enrich the soils. They should also try to use organic ways of controlling pesticides. This will ensure farmers are not using too much pesticide, as is the case today," he said.
Tuimur also noted that farmers have not been adhering to the withdrawal period when spraying their crops with pesticides.
“Farmers are spraying their crops and selling the produce to the market without observing the withdrawal periods. This means we are consuming food with deposits of chemicals, hence most Kenyans are preferring to buy organically produced food,” he said.
David Amudavi, the executive director of Biovision Africa Trust, said past research findings indicate that an estimated 3.5 billion kilogrammes of pesticides are applied to crops each year.
“The number is steadily increasing as developing nations are steadily transitioning over to chemical-based agriculture in a misguided and misinformed effort to increase yield and lower cost. The use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides has been linked to a number of environmental problems and issues,” Amudavi said.
According to the United Nations, 90 per cent of synthetic pesticide fatalities come from developing countries. The UN warns that if not curbed by 2020, the accumulated cost of illness and injury linked to pesticides in small-scale farming in sub-Saharan Africa could reach Sh9 trillion.
More than 500 agriculture value chain players are expected in the country next week for a global conference to chart the way forward on how to substantially and sustainably reduce the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers.
The meeting comes at a time when there are global debate and concerns on the use of harmful pesticides and substandard fertilisers that are blamed for low crop production. Participants will also be discussing the dangers of genetically modified organisms, and strategies to encourage the uptake of agro-ecological programmes and initiatives.
This will be the first International Conference on Agroecology Transforming Agriculture & Food Systems in Africa. It will provide a platform for discussions on how to enhance ecological trade in the region.
The event will be hosted by the World Food Preservation Centre, the IFOAM Organics International, Biovision Africa Trust, and other local and international partners.
(Edited by F'Orieny)
