NAIROBI, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Biological methods of controlling crop pest and diseases should be adopted by African small-holders to help minimize negative impacts of conventional pesticides on the environment and human health, campaigners said on Thursday at an organic farming conference under way in Nairobi.
Million Belay, coordinator of Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa said that harnessing biological resources to fight crop pests has economic, health and ecological benefits to small-scale farmers.
"The use of natural repellents to fight crop pests should be given consideration by our farmers since it will cut down on cost of purchasing synthetic pesticides whose residue is harmful to soils and water," said Belay.
He said that peer reviewed researches have proposed adoption of biological pest control methods that pose minimal risks to the environment and impact positively on soil fertility.
"Recently, we conducted 50 case studies in 22 African countries which revealed that small-holder farmers are keen to use organic fertilizers and pesticides as opposed to agro-chemicals," said Belay.
He said that natural crop pest control methods like inter-cropping and crop rotation remain popular with African small-holder farmers who produce more than 70 percent of staples consumed in the continent.
Ferdinand Wafula, coordinator of a small-holder farmers' network based in western Kenya Bio Gardening Innovations, said that natural repellent inter-cropped with key staples like maize, legumes and tubers have proved effective in fighting pests.
"Rural farmers should be trained on application of natural methods to fight diseases and pests that contribute immensely to suppressed yields," said Wafula.
He said that organic farming presents cost effective and environmentally friendly solution to the menace of pests and diseases that has undermined food security at small-holder level.
Justus Mwololo, secretary general of Kenya Small Scale Farmers Forum, said that a radical policy shift combined with training and awareness creation is key to scaling up use of biological methods to fight pests and diseases.