CS Kagwe calls for global ban on hazardous farm chemicals, decries double standards

Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has called for urgent global action to eliminate hazardous agricultural chemicals, warning that farmers in developing countries continue to be exposed to substances banned elsewhere due to health and environmental concerns.

Speaking during the opening of the 2026 World Farmers' Organisation (WFO) General Assembly in Nairobi, CS Kagwe challenged governments, regulators, manufacturers and international organisations to harmonise global standards on agricultural chemicals and place farmers' welfare at the heart of agricultural policies.

"The world cannot continue operating under a double standard when it comes to agricultural chemicals," Kagwe said.

"If a pesticide is considered unsafe for use in one country because it poses unacceptable risks to human health or the environment, it should not find a market elsewhere simply because farmers are poorer or regulations are weaker."

Addressing delegates from across the globe, including leaders of farmers' organisations, development partners, agribusiness executives and policymakers, the CS said the lives and health of farmers in developing countries should be valued equally to those of farmers in developed nations.

"The life of an African farmer is not worth less than the life of a farmer in other parts of the world. The health of consumers in developing countries matters just as much as the health of consumers anywhere else in the world," he said.

Kagwe warned that the continued circulation of unsafe agricultural chemicals and counterfeit farm inputs poses a significant threat to food safety, public health, environmental sustainability and international trade.

He called for enhanced cooperation among governments, regulators, traders, manufacturers and farmers to curb the illegal trafficking, counterfeiting and misuse of agricultural products.

"Unsafe chemicals entering our markets through informal channels undermine public confidence, threaten export markets and expose farming communities to unnecessary risks," he noted.

The Agriculture CS stressed that safeguarding farmers should extend beyond improving productivity and market access to protecting their health and wellbeing.

"Food safety begins at the farm. Consumer confidence begins at the farm. Public health begins at the farm. Therefore, protecting farmers must begin with protecting their health," he said.

Kagwe's remarks formed part of a broader appeal for a shift in global agricultural development strategies, arguing that farmers have increasingly been sidelined in discussions on food systems, climate adaptation, agricultural financing and productivity.

"The farmer has become the missing centre in discussions about agriculture. This Assembly must therefore be about more than food systems. It must be about the people who sustain those food systems," he said.

The CS also highlighted disparities in global agricultural support, noting that farmers in developed countries continue to benefit from substantial public subsidies while smallholder farmers in developing nations are often left to compete with limited assistance.

He urged governments and financial institutions to view investment in farmers as a critical pillar of economic growth, food security and social stability rather than a cost.

Kagwe further called for reforms in agricultural financing, saying lenders should develop products tailored to the realities of farming, including crop cycles, climate-related risks and long-term investment needs.

He also pointed to Kenya's efforts to modernise the sector through technology, citing the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System (KIAMIS) as a key platform for improving digital subsidies, traceability, planning and service delivery.

While advocating for increased use of technology in agriculture, the CS emphasized that innovations should empower farmers and provide practical solutions rather than remain confined to research institutions.