An interesting article that examines the power of outside forces, from other governments to PR firms and multinational corporations, in shaping Kenya's farming landscape.

One solution that seems t

Post

Brittany King
Brittany King

An interesting article that examines the power of outside forces, from other governments to PR firms and multinational corporations, in shaping Kenya's farming landscape.

One solution that seems t

12 months ago

An interesting article that examines the power of outside forces, from other governments to PR firms and multinational corporations, in shaping Kenya's farming landscape.

One solution that seems to emerge from this investigation - education and awareness raising on the harms of HHPs and other toxic agrochemicals, as well as the influences shaping local decision-making.

A few excerpts:

"More than 75% of the agrochemicals used in Kenya in 2020 – the latest figures publicly available – are categorised as Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs)...Among those HHPs is paraquat, manufactured by the Swiss-based agro-technology giant Syngenta, which has increasingly been linked to Parkinson’s disease – an incurable degenerative brain disorder. Banned in the EU, paraquat remains legally available in Kenya."

"An investigation, led by Lighthouse Reports with reporting from The New Humanitarian and other international media outlets, has found that a 'reputation management' firm – partly funded by US taxpayers – has been quietly undermining efforts to protect people in parts of Africa and Asia from the health threats posed by hazardous pesticides."