Gender and Food Systems

Pesticides do not simply disappear once they are banned or withdrawn; many persist in the environment for years, accumulating in soil, water, air, and living organisms. These persistent chemicals, including organochlorines and other synthetic compounds, move through food chains via bioaccumulation and biomagnification, posing long-term risks to human health, wildlife, and ecosystems. Evidence from studies in Kenya and across Africa shows that even years after exposure, pesticide residues remain in people, animals, and the environment, highlighting the urgent need for remediation, monitoring, and sustainable pest management practices

Nairobi, Kenya, December 9, 2024 - The Route to Food Initiative (RTFI), a programme of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Kenya, is excited to announce the launch of Kenya’s first-ever Farmers Resource Guide on alternatives to Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), a groundbreaking tool designed to promote sustainable and pesticide-free farming practices. This guide is by framers for farmers, offering practical knowledge and tools to help farmers at all experience levels to grow healthy, nutritious food while safeguarding their health, the environment, and future generations.

The Route to Food Initiative, a program component of the Heinrich Boell Foundation, has launched a special edition of the Chakula Magazine, a graphic novel entitled “The Blind Spot.”

Food is a crucial subject the world over. All aspects of how we produce, process, distribute and access food is increasingly coming under sharp, serious scrutiny. This is partly due to the universal understanding of food as a basic right – necessary for life rather than a commodity we trade, invent, re-invent and innovate with little consideration of the implications that has on access, safety and quality. Various discussions have been brought to the table, mainly trying to figure out the best approach to our food and farming systems and what approach gives a better chance to end hunger and malnutrition; now and in the days to come.

According to FAO, pollinators such as bees, birds and bats, affect 35 percent of the world's crop production, increasing outputs of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide, plus many plant-derived medicines. Talking about harmful pesticides in our commonly consumed foods then becomes a complex matter to address to the public.

Hunger now more than ever seems to result from structural inefficiencies leading to limited access to food, climate change, poverty, and inequalities. Few individuals who dictate technologies, choices, quality, and quantities in food systems and prices undermine progression.

What Ails Kenya’s Food System? A Policy Perspective