PAN meets in East Africa

A meeting in Kampala, Uganda, brought together 22 people from 18 NGOs and trade unions for the first workshop of PAN groups in eastern Africa for many years. Participants came from Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Senegal, Cameroon, UK and Canada. The aims of the meeting, hosted by Climate and Development Initiatives, were to provide a forum for those working on sustainable agriculture, food security and pesticide hazards; to exchange information on activities, particularly relating to the opportunities arising from international Conventions on pesticides; and to develop a sub-regional PAN centre in eastern Africa.
    A major concern of participants is the widespread and expanding use of pesticides, particularly in the commercial farming sector, by farmers and agricultural workers who have no awareness of the hazards of the products they use, and almost no ability to protect themselves, their communities and environment while spraying. Although legislation and some form of pesticide registration are in place in all east African countries, the capacity to implement and enforce controls on distribution, use, storage and disposal is minimal. Unregulated and sometimes banned products are traded across borders in the regions. Poor farmers need to buy small quantities of pesticides, and it is common for sellers to repack and re-label products without instructions and health warnings. Pesticides sold to farmers are often adulterated or sub-standard.
    Participants were equally concerned about the impact of genetically engineered (GE) seeds in the region, pointing out that these are expensive and not appropriate for many small scale farmers. Although no governments in the region have licensed trials of GE crops, Uganda is considering doing so. The meeting agreed that a priority was to ensure farmers have access to good quality, affordable seed supplies, and that there should be no threat to farm-saved seeds. 
    The meeting established a steering group to support consultations on a structure for strengthening PAN activities in the region. 

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 55, March 2002, page 19]