Food Rights

This background paper Rethinking Agriculture: Soil Health for Sustainable Farming in Africa explores the importance of soil health and the need to a shift away from sole reliance on synthetic fertilizers remains an imperative discourse for sustainable agriculture in Africa.

Pesticides have not only become a prominent concern globally but in Kenya today. Proponents of the pesticides argue that they are vital in pest and disease control in food systems, while the antagonists raise alarm about the potential toxicity of these agrochemicals to human health and the environment. The point of contention is the toxic nature of certain pesticides sold in Kenya but been banned in their countries of origin. According to a 2023 Route to Food Report, 76% of the total volume of pesticides used in Kenya are categorized as highly hazardous and 44% of these pesticides are banned in the European Union.

During the colonial era in Kenya, the agricultural sector was overseen by a retrogressive and racist colonial agrarian policy. It split into two main structures that saw the best arable land reserved for European ownership (referred to as the White Highlands) that concentrated on producing cash crops like coffee, tea and improved livestock mainly to be exported as commodities in short supply in Europe.

The report “Toxic Business; Highly Hazardous Pesticides in Kenya” presents analyses on actual data of pesticides used in 2020 in Kenya. It shows that immediate action is necessary to protect human health, the environment, and the right to healthy food in Kenya. Please see an overview of the reports content and recommendations. 

The Route to Food Initiative (RTFI) a programme of the Heinrich Böll Foundation has released the first ever report based on empirical data on Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) in Kenya. 

High use of synthetic fertilizers has tremendous effects on the health, texture and quality of the soil, affecting crop production in the long run. They quickly boost plant growth but do little to stimulate soil life, improve soil texture, or improve soil's long-term fertility. Since they are highly water-soluble, it makes it easy for them to leach into waterways.  

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.”

Many pesticides are banned in the European Union. It is illegal to use them in EU Member States, yet it is allowed to produce and export them to third countries – where they pose great risks to people and their environment.

Beneficial insects provide enormous ecosystem services to Africa. However, to continue benefitting from these natural processes, sustainable farming and environmental management practices need to be promoted.

Pesticide use leads to residues in food to which many people around the world are exposed. Kenya is no exception. Global trade of pesticide products and produce means that contaminated food is every consumer’s responsibility.