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We are what we eat? Are we indeed what we eat. It is undisputable fact that food is the building block for our body growth and maintenance. This is the reason why eating healthy is recommended if we are to live a healthy life. 

As much as the emphasis is on eating a well balanced meal at least three times a day, there is also a need to pay attention to safety of the food we are consuming. Safety of food can be in various ways. Some of them are biological and chemical contamination. 

Chemical contamination boils down from the time of production to consumption. Approximately 70% of farmers are mostly using chemical pesticides in one way or the other to protect crops from pests attack. It is reported that the use of chemical pesticides is rife in Lilongwe plain, Shire Highlands and Lake shore districts including Salima. The integration of chemical pesticides and herbicides in the Farm Input Subsidy Program has widened the use of these pesticides.  

There are a notable reports regarding how harmful the chemical pesticides are to people’s health. Once the pesticides are sprayed on the crops, the chemical residues remain. If the chemicals can kill pests, how safe are we consuming the chemical residues in foods? 

While the immediate risk from eating a single piece of fruit is low, the long-term “cocktail effect” of consuming small amounts of multiple different pesticide residues over a lifetime is a major public health concern. It is linked to the chronic issues like  increased cancer risk, endocrine disruption. 

Our lives might be in danger if we continue consuming food residues. However, the good news is that the solution lies within nature. Biopesticides application is the way to go. 

Nthali is therefore involved in engaging youth and women farmers to shift from the use of chemical pesticides to organic pesticides. This does not only enhance chemical free foods but also protect the environment and increase biodiversity.