A new regional initiative aimed at helping smallholder farmers abandon highly hazardous pesticides and adopt safer agroecological farming practices has been launched in Dar es Salaam, in a move expected to strengthen food safety, protect public health and preserve biodiversity across East Africa.
The three-year project, launched by AGENDA Tanzania, brings together stakeholders from Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia to promote sustainable agriculture while reducing reliance on dangerous agricultural chemicals widely linked to health and environmental risks.
The initiative was officially unveiled during a two-day regional workshop held at Giraffe Hotel in Dar es Salaam on May 22–23, 2026.
Representing the Government Chief Chemist, Director of Regulatory Services at the Office of the Government Chemist, Daniel William Ndiyo, said the project marks an important step towards improving chemical management and strengthening safe pesticide use in the region.
He said the programme will support efforts to gradually phase out pesticides considered highly harmful to human health and ecosystems while encouraging farmers to embrace environmentally friendly farming systems.
“The project will contribute to protecting farmers, consumers and future generations while supporting sustainable food production,” he said.
More than 3,000 farmers from Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia are expected to benefit from the initiative through training on agroecology, safer pest-control technologies and alternative farming methods designed to reduce chemical dependency.
The project will focus mainly on cotton and vegetable farming, sectors where excessive use of hazardous pesticides has remained a major concern for years.
In Tanzania, the programme is being coordinated by AGENDA Tanzania in partnership with Rainforest Alliance.
It also aims to help farmers access organic certification, a move expected to increase the value and competitiveness of agricultural produce in domestic and international markets.
Experts attending the workshop noted that continued use of highly hazardous pesticides has largely been fuelled by limited farmer awareness, inadequate access to safer alternatives and long-standing dependence on chemical farm inputs.
They warned that the widespread use of such pesticides continues to contribute to environmental pollution, loss of biodiversity, declining bee populations and health complications among farming communities.
AGENDA Senior Programme Officer Silvani Mng’anya said participants at the regional workshop reached several resolutions that will guide implementation of the project in all three countries.
The resolutions include strengthening farmer education on the dangers of hazardous pesticides, enhancing cooperation between agriculture, health and environmental institutions, expanding access to safer pest management methods and improving policy and regulatory frameworks to reduce the use of harmful pesticides across East Africa.
The workshop also resolved to establish national technical advisory committees in each participating country to coordinate implementation, monitor progress and facilitate knowledge-sharing among farmers and key stakeholders.
A representative from Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture, Community Development Officer Heremia Herman, said the initiative would help farmers better understand production systems that protect both human health and the environment.
Rainforest Alliance Programme Officer Fredrick Otieno from Kenya said hazardous pesticide use remains a global challenge that requires coordinated action from governments, agricultural institutions and development partners.
The project is being implemented by AGENDA Tanzania in collaboration with PAN Ethiopia, CEJAD Kenya, PAN International and Rainforest Alliance, with funding from the Global Framework on Chemicals Fund under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Stakeholders say the initiative could become a major turning point for East Africa’s agricultural sector by promoting safer food production systems, improving environmental protection and strengthening long-term resilience among smallholder farmers.
