Farmers at Limuru Sub-County in Kiambu have been warned against using herbicides on their farms as some pose a danger to crops and even bigger threat to human health.
Speaking in her office on Wednesday, Limuru Sub-County agricultural officer Mrs Mukora Elizabeth Wangeci said that over the past few years, farmers in the area have turned to using herbicides in their farms to kill weeds though some have turned to be detrimental to their yields and health.
She condemned the use of herbicides saying it has led to low crop yields in the sub county, adding that some farmers in Limuru did not till their land and instead sprayed pesticides on weeds during the planting season.
According to Mrs Mukora, the farmers dug holes and used fertilizers to plant which they found to be cheaper and easier than tilling the land. She explained that the combination of herbicides and fertilisers was fatal to crops and advised that farmers to minimise their usage if they wish to increase their harvest.
The agricultural officer said that some of the weeds should just be uprooted as they were not in large quantities to warrant chemicals, adding that the use of herbicides destroys soil fertility by killing insects that help in creating nutrients.
“Farmers should revert to traditional methods so as to be guaranteed food security in the region,” she said.
She urged farmers to heed to her advice for their own health and to increase farm yields.