Agrochemicals include all those artificial chemicals that are used on farmlands as fertilizes or to kill weeds (herbicides) or pests (pesticides). The move by many African Governments to make agriculture more commercially viable has resulted in extensive use of agro-chemicals on large commercial farms and now even on small holder farms.
Over reliance on agro-chemicals leads to contamination of soils and killing the biodiversity there but also introduces toxins to water bodies and foods consumed by both humans and animals. Reliance on agro-chemicals also makes agriculture very expensive and will eventually kick small holder farmers out of the food production chain. Many farmers have ditched indigenous organic farming and gone for agro-chemicals partly because they are not aware about their dangers on the environment, human and animal life. Others lack knowledge on how to do agriculture without extensively using agrochemicals since government agriculture extension workers are not interested in that.
AIBIS therefore intends to continue sharing widely knowledge on the dangers of agrochemicals while providing knowledge on organic farming alternatives such as permaculture.
AIBIS will also advocate for implementation of laws aimed at safeguarding farmers and members of the public from the dangers posed by agrochemicals.
Our intervention
The above challenges call for all the different stakeholders to pay a significant part in the management of chemicals during their different life cycles. Civil Society can play an important role in influencing policy and ensuring the use wise of chemicals; more especially in raising awareness on the potential impacts of the chemicals that are produced, stored, transported, used and disposed off.
Realizing the above challenges, AIBIS advocates for sound use and management of chemicals in response to SDGs 12 which calls for responsible consumption and production patterns and SDG 3 that calls for good health and being. The sound use and management of chemicals program aims at:
- Raising awareness on the harmful impacts of chemicals on human health and the environment targeting different stakeholders including farmers, artisanal small scale gold miners, local leaders, schools among others.
- Supporting communities to revive their indigenous methods and knowledge of managing pests and weeds without resorting to dangerous chemicals.
- Promoting safer mining alternative methods that are friendly to the environment and human health.
- Advocating for proper regulation of the use of these harmful chemicals and products on the market.