SEATINI Commemorates World Cancer Day 2020
World Cancer Day is commemorated annually on the 4th of February. To commemorate this day, SEATINI Uganda and CEFROHT were hosted on Buganda Broad Casting Services Limited (BBS TV) to discuss the risks associated with using harmful agro- chemicals.
SEATINI and CEFROHT expressed over by government’s failure and omission to ban the use of glyphosate and Glyphosate Based Herbicides (GBHs) which threatens and is a violation of the right to life, health, right to adequate food and to a clean and health environment guaranteed under Objectives XX, XXII, Articles 20, 45, 8A and 33 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda.
In order to mitigate against the worrying cancer related cases, SEATINI and CEFROHT called upon the Government of Uganda through its relevant Ministries to:
- Issue an immediate ban on use of glyphosate, and Glyphosate Based Herbicides (GBH) in Uganda and all internationally banned agro-chemicals.
- Shift from conventional agriculture to agro ecology farming.
- Implement both the National Organic Food Policy and section 18 of the Agriculture Chemicals (Control) Act 2007 which provides for regulation of the use, transport, storage advertisement and disposal of pesticides.
- Introduces use of phytosanitary machines to examine food products before their supply on the market by farmers within a period of two years, or such reasonable time as court may deem fit, of passing the judgment in this case.
- Adopts use of extension workers to promote integrated pesticide management.
SEATINI Uganda is implementing a campaign that seeks to ban the use of harmful agro-chemicals and thus the World Cancer Day 2021 provided an opportunity to engage the wider public on this campaign.