Sustainable Pesticide Management Framework
Sustainable pesticide management is foundational to sustainable agriculture
Kenyan farmers feed families, the country, and the world. A modern, more sustainable agricultural sector has huge potential to further foster livelihoods and increase the country’s overall prosperity. CropLife International’s Sustainable Pesticide Management Framework (SPMF) is an industry-led program to measurably reduce the risk of pesticides and to achieve food security.
It’s a proactive, long-term engagement that combines best practices in regulatory and stewardship; creates an enabling environment for innovation; and builds an infrastructure that supports sustainable pesticide management through poison centers, incident reporting, container management programs, and anticounterfeit activities. This forward-looking, systematic approach will provide farmers information and training on responsible crop protection practices and access to innovative technologies that protect human health and the environment, and optimize crop production. We are proud that Kenya was the first of nine countries to launch the program in 2021.
CropLife International is a strong supporter of the FAO/WHO International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management. We believe in the partnership approach of the FAO/WHO Code and seek local and global partnerships with government bodies, farmer groups, and civil society to work together towards sustainable pesticide management.
We established three key pillars for our SPMF activities
1
Reduce reliance on Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) and demonstrate change
2
Ensure innovation is available to farmers to drive sustainable productivity gains
3
Equip farmers with tools & best practices that ensure responsible & effective use >
A major challenge in Kenya is the still prevalent use of HHPs, including banned products or counterfeits. Counterfeit pesticides alone make up 20% of products applied on Kenyan fields. We take various actions to raise awareness about the risks of HHPs and counterfeit products for people and the environment, while enabling a sustainable transition to safeguard food security.
Key activities
- Collaborate with Kenyan regulators, building capacity in implementing and enforcing a new pesticide legislation that is based on science and effectively preventing sale and use of HHPs.
- Push back counterfeit products by training customs officers at the borders to prevent import of counterfeits, training farmers and airing radio spots to increase understanding of the danger of counterfeits.
- Enabling a sustainable transition away from HHPs by increasing our knowledge with studies on food residues, high-risk value chains, and counterfeits and spreading knowledge and best practices among government agents, traders, and farmers.
A major challenge in Kenya is the still prevalent use of HHPs, including banned products or counterfeits. Counterfeit pesticides alone make up 20% of products applied on Kenyan fields. We take various actions to raise awareness about the risks of HHPs and counterfeit products for people and the environment, while enabling a sustainable transition to safeguard food security.
Key activities
- Increase awareness on agricultural drones, with trainings and webinars as a cost-effective method to apply pesticides in a small but effective dosage, while ensuring safe distance to sprayers
- Build and strengthen capabilities in effective pest and disease control by increasing awareness in crop resistance towards pesticides, providing professional spray service providers, and extending e-learning platform contents.
- Enhance the uptake of biological pesticides throughout Kenya by engaging the key stakeholders, such as manufacturers, specific value chains and regulators.
In line with the FAO/WHO Code of Conduct and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we aim to achieve environmentally sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle. The program will equip Kenyan farmers with information and best practices that ensure responsible and effective use of pesticides, while also taking measures for responsible distribution and recycling.
Key activities
- Train farmers and agro-dealers in intergrated pest management, to ensure high yields, human healthe and enviromental safety.
- Ensure usage of protective clothing when spraying pesticides with stakeholder approach
- Establish a sustainable system for the disposal of chemical waste as well as collection and recycling of empty pesticide containers