Last summer I tried to grow courgettes! I started them off in little pots at university, until the sad day came that they needed to go outside. So, I strapped them into my car and drove four and a half hours to my mum’s house, where I finally planted them in the garden. Little did I know, her garden was home to a ravenous herd of slugs who wasted no time giving my courgettes a questionable haircut.
Luckily for me, I was just growing them for fun. I took notes, did some research, and plan to return to the battleground again this year, armed with eggshells and companion plants.
But for many farmers, plant loss due to pests isn’t just a disappointing end to a gardening experiment, it’s a direct threat to their income, food security, and livelihood.
PESTICIDES: A FARMERS BEST FRIEND…AND WORST ENEMY
In East Africa, for example, recent outbreaks of pests like the fall armyworm (a voracious caterpillar that can wipe out maize fields in days) have left entire harvests in ruins. Even with careful planning, a season’s work can be undone overnight.
Faced with this level of uncertainty, many farmers turn to pesticides as their main line of defence. These chemicals are designed to target specific pests like insects, fungi, and weeds1. But once sprayed, they don’t stay neatly where intended.
Pesticides can drift into waterways, leach into the soil, and affect the very ecosystems that healthy farms rely on. They threaten pollinators, reduce soil fertility, and contribute to biodiversity loss. For farmers who handle them frequently — often without proper protective gear — the health risks are even more immediate. Long-term exposure to harmful ingredients has been linked to respiratory issues, skin conditions, and in some cases, more serious chronic illnesses.
So, the question becomes: how can farmers protect their crops without compromising their health or the environment?
SPREADING THE WORD
A recent study explored whether mass media, including radio broadcasts and text messages, could help farmers in Rwanda and Uganda adopt safer practices. The campaign, run by the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International, shared tips on pesticide safety and promoted natural alternatives like biopesticides, crop rotation, and pest scouting.
To see if the messages worked, researchers surveyed 1,327 maize-farming households – all of which had battled fall armyworm.
Analysis of the survey responses showed that that mass media campaigns had indeed significantly improved farmers’ knowledge of pesticide safety. Of the farmers who received information from campaigns, 43% in Uganda and 27% in Rwanda were more likely to adopt non-chemical pest management methods, such as using naturally derived ‘biopesticides’, rotating crops or scouting their fields for hungry pests. Perhaps most promising of all, the rollout of campaigns was significantly correlated with an incredible 47% drop in probability of experiencing a pesticide-related illness in Rwanda.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE TOXIC
However, one key issue remains. Overall, synthetic pesticide use is on the rise, with imports into East Africa increasing. In Rwanda, farmers exposed to the media campaigns were 11.7% more likely to use synthetic pesticides, suggesting although safe practice improved, pesticide use remains a dominant practice. Across most countries, there is a similar picture – since 1990, global use of pesticides has doubled2.
OVERCOMING PESTICIDE RELIANCE
Why has the adoption of environmentally friendly pesticides not increased with better knowledge? The researchers suspect that it is largely due to relaxed regulations, successful marketing by pesticide companies, and lack of access to affordable alternatives. To sustain healthier and more environmentally friendly change in farming practices, there needs to be stricter policies and more support for farmers.
If we get it right, environmentally friendly farming practices will help both people and the planet. When compared to traditional pesticides, biopesticides not only degrade faster but can be just as effective3,4. Look to Kenya, where a fungus-based bioherbicide named “Kichawi Kill” is being used to target aggressive and invasive witchweed. When using Kichawi Kill instead of a chemical pesticide, maize farmers found their crop yield actually increased – in one case, by an enormous 675%5.
A successful maize harvest. Both photos from Canva
FINDING ANOTHER WAY
There is still more to learn about how we can reduce our reliance on chemical pesticides. We can’t say for sure that media campaigns alone caused the changes in behaviour – farmers might have picked up safer practices from training or local networks. Plus, the study didn’t look at how much pesticide was being used, only whether farmers were using it at all. Understanding the intensity of use would help paint a fuller picture of how farming habits are changing.
Then there’s the big question: cost. We know multiple media channels boost knowledge, but does the extra investment really pay off? Future research needs to dig deeper into whether mass media campaigns can offer a solution to our pesticide problem.
Article written by Abi Hinchcliffe
Primary Paper:
Tambo, J.A. et al. (2023) ‘Using mass media campaigns to change pesticide use behaviour among smallholder farmers in East Africa’, Journal of Rural Studies, 99, pp. 79–91. doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.03.00
Other Refrences:
- Aktar, W., Sengupta, D. and Chowdhury, A. (2009) ‘Impact of pesticides use in agriculture: Their benefits and Hazards’, Interdisciplinary Toxicology, 2(1), pp. 1–12. doi:10.2478/v10102-009-0001-7.
- FAO Statistics (2024).‘Pesticides use and trade. 1990–2022’. Available at: https://www.fao.org/statistics/highlights-archive/highlights-detail/pesticides-use-and-trade-1990-2022 (Accessed: 31 March 2025).
- Lomer, C.J., Prior, C. and Kooyman, C. (1997) ‘Development of metarhizium spp.. for the control of grasshoppers and locusts’, Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada, 129(S171), pp. 265–286. doi:10.4039/entm129171265-1.
- Aioub, A.A. et al. (2024) ‘Back to the origins: Biopesticides as promising alternatives to conventional agrochemicals’, European Journal of Plant Pathology, 169(4), pp. 697–713. doi:10.1007/s10658-024-02865-6.
- Reuters (2024). ‘Bioherbicide helps lift Kenya’s witchweed curse on Farmers’. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/bioherbicide-helps-lift-kenyas-witchweed-curse-farmers-2024-10-30/ (Accessed: 31 March 2025).
