Kenya's staple foods — maize, sukuma wiki and tomatoes — are often grown using highly hazardous pesticides. The World Health Organization says highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) are dangerous to human health, animals and the environment. “A recent study we did in collaboration with Koan showed that most farmers in these counties heavily used highly hazardous pesticides on Kenya’s most important crops — maize, sukuma wiki, tomatoes and cabbages,” Bollmohr said. Bollmohr's presentation showed pesticide residues in tomatoes and sukuma wiki that far exceeded recommended Maximum Residues Levels (MRLs). The webinar was organised by the Route to Food Initiative to educate the public on the state of pesticides as the world marked the World Food Safety Day.

Source: The Star June 14, 2021 20:15 UTC