Cabi sets up portal for pesticides awareness

Milliam Murigi @millymur1

The Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (Cabi) has launched a portal for biocontrols and biopesticides to raise awareness about environmentally friendly biocontrol and bio-pesticide products. 

Cabi is a not-for-profit inter-governmental development and information organisation focusing primarily on agricultural and environmental issues in developing countries. 

Dubbed CABI BioProtection Portal, the free-to-use dedicated online resource will help growers and pest management advisors identify, source and correctly apply biocontrol and biopesticide products for their specific crop-pest problems.

“Our aim is to promote uptake of biocontrols and biopesticides by growers, their advisors and farmers.

Currently, only three per cent of growers and farmers are using bio-control products in Africa and we need to increase this number,” said Dr Ulrich Kuhlmann, Executive Director, Global Operations at Cabi.

The platform was started after realising that the widespread use of chemical pesticides to fight crop pests alone is not sustainable either economically or environmentally, especially as climates change.

“Most Kenyans aren’t aware of available alternatives in pest management. This portal will be bringing together all the available biopesticide products as well as information that the farmer needs to know about the product,” he added.

Agriculture PS Hamadi Boga said the portal will benefit growers, national authorities responsible for the regulation and registration of plant protection products, saccos, groups operating certification schemes and bio-pesticides makers.

So far, 95 products have been registered in the online website that can be accessed through smartphones, tablets and computers.

“Gowers can add these products to their ‘arsenal’ against crop pests as part of an integrated pest management plan,” said Dr Morris Akiri, Regional Director for Cabi Africa.