Kenyan Farmers Grapple with Health and Environmental Fallout of 2020 Locust Pesticide Campaign

Three years after millions of desert locusts ravaged croplands in Garissa, Kenya, the reverberations of the calamity persist. Not only did the locusts decimate crops, but the fallout from the pesticide campaign to eliminate them now haunts the affected communities. In 2020, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), alongside the World Bank and World Food Programme, injected over $230m into an anti-locust operation that covered 100,000 hectares. It remains a contentious topic, with experts, including former FAO consultants, scrutinizing the endeavor for its alleged shortcomings.

Mohammed Adan's battle against the toxic legacy of the campaign encapsulates the larger issue. With the pesticide cocktail—whose composition was not fully disclosed to farmers—came a severe cost to human health and the environment. Adan, inadvertently exposed with no protective gear, began experiencing severe health issues which devolved into a distressing cycle of hospital visits and surgeries.

This tragic saga is compounded by conflicting accounts of the campaign's execution. The Ministry of Agriculture disputes claims of direct pesticide provision to farmers, while FAO representatives are tight-lipped about reports of procedural flaws. There seems to be a chasm between official statements and the on-the-ground experiences of farmers like Adan.

The FAO campaign's use of chemicals like organophosphates, banned in many Western nations, contradicts increasing global concerns for environmental and human health. Notably, the FAO's advisory body, the Locust Pesticide Referee Group (LPRG), had recommended the least toxic compounds, highlighting the dilemma of using such heavy chemicals for pest control. To complicate matters, while the biopesticide Novacrid demonstrated high efficacy in trials, its adoption faces economic and political hurdles.

Now there's a call for accountability among international bodies, donor countries, and local governments. The story of Garissa's farmers is a sobering reminder that crisis response cannot forsake safety and sustainability. As Kenya continues to grapple with the aftermath, the focus must shift to environmentally sound practices and safeguarding the wellbeing of impacted communities.