[ad_1]
Farmers in Kisumu County claim that red-billed warbler bird populations have exploded and devastated 300 acres (120 hectares) of rice.
To the satisfaction of the farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture has allowed the spraying of pesticides.
“West Kano alone produces 5,000 tons of rice, three-quarters of which is consumed by birds. I know you’re going to pay it back, it’s getting in the way of paying it back and now the loan is overburdened.” Jared Odoyo, Chairman of the West Kano Irrigation Project, said:
The government has started looking at approaches to control the birds and quick government solutions. They looked at aerial spraying with pesticides. These are chemicals that you spray on birds and they die.
Environmental lobby groups say it’s a “first aid” to harm the environment. They say the pesticide is toxic not only to humans, but also to untargeted organisms.
According to Paul Gachel, a wildlife ecologist at Nature Kenya, a local affiliate of BirdLife International, it is important for governments to consider other environmentally friendly methods.
“Unfortunately, this species is already considered a pest by our legislation. But airborne poisoning of this bird is a greater danger to the ecosystem. because it kills and increases itself the risk of environmental pollution that is dangerous for us and dangerous for the ecosystem as a whole.”
“The control measures we would like the government to consider are those that minimize the risk of killing other species and promote other agricultural practices that help prevent this bird from over-proliferating. … spraying is not the right way to control this species, so we can improve farming systems to help control this bird.” he added.
Ongoing drought has devastated the Horn of Africa, wiping out the native grasses that are Clare’s main food source.
This leaves the birds with no choice but to eat the grain fields.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, one kelea can eat up to 10 grams of grain per day.
By 2021, crop losses due to birds will reach $50 million.
[ad_2]
Source link
