Writer: Michael J. Ssali. PHOTO/FILE
Agrochemicals are substances or farm inputs that are obtained from shops to boost agricultural production. Some of them are fertilisers intended to improve the quality of soil and to cause vigorous growth of crops. Others are chemicals manufactured to kill pests, which farmers apply to safeguard their crops from disease.
There are also chemicals known as herbicides, which are made to kill weeds. If left to grow freely in the fields the weeds compete with crops for soil nutrients and they can reduce farm yields.
Agrochemicals boost crop yields but if they are not properly applied they can cause illness and even death to the farmers and food consumers.
They are made out of substances that are not edible and they are meant to achieve specific goals by applying them in the soil or on the plants that they are meant to protect or kill.
We can refer to agrochemicals as poisons much as they are manufactured to boost agricultural production. Just as human medicine is intended to save lives it can cause death if people take overdose.
Medicine should be used according to the prescription of a health worker. Only last Saturday in the Seeds of Gold, a soil scientist in National Agricultural Research Organisation (Naro), Dr Eseri Nankya, was quoted as saying that farmers should have the soil of their gardens tested before applying any fertilisers.
She said mindless application of fertilisers can poison the soil and render it useless for farming. Some people and a number of organizations have called for a total ban on the use of agrochemicals given the poisoning risk that they pose to food consumers.
It is also true that studies have indicated that vegetables including tomatoes picked randomly from stalls in different parts of Uganda carry residues of pesticides on them.
“Overall a total of eight different pesticides (Mancozeb, Malathion, Metalaxyl, Profenofos, Cypermethrin, Dichlorvos, Chlorpyrifos, and Lambda-cyhalothrin) were found in the tomato samples,” reads the study report titled ‘Pesticide Use, Health and Environment Project, implemented by Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health (UNACOH).
Herbicides are said to be behind the death of several species of insects including pollinators and some useful organisms in the soil.
Banning the use of agrochemicals would however severely reduce the country’s agricultural production. What we must do is to teach the farmers how to safely apply them by observing manufacturers’ instructions.
