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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

Sec. Agro-Food Safety

Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1627249

Reducing Pesticide Risks through Social and Behavior Change Communication: A Case Study of the Ukulima True Campaign in Kenya

Provisionally accepted
Maureen  W NjengaMaureen W Njenga1*Monica Kagorora  KansiimeMonica Kagorora Kansiime1*Tamsin  DavisTamsin Davis2Geoffrey  RugaitaGeoffrey Rugaita1Rahab  NjungeRahab Njunge1Abigael  MchanaAbigael Mchana1Bill  OkakaBill Okaka1Melanie  BatemanMelanie Bateman3,4
  • 1CAB International, Nairobi, Kenya
  • 2CAB International, Wallingford, England, United Kingdom
  • 3CAB International, Rue des Grillons 1, 2800 Delémont, Switzerland
  • 4CAB International, Rue des Grillons 1, 2800 Delémon, Switzerland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Although pesticides play a critical role in enhancing crop productivity, their improper use poses serious threats to health and the environment. This study assessed the effectiveness of Ukulima True campaign a Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) campaign in Kenya, aimed at reducing pesticide risks by promoting safer farming practices. A crosssectional mixed-methods approach was used, involving surveys with 406 farmers and 12 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) in Subukia Sub-County. Results show that 68% of farmers became aware of the campaign, with peer-to-peer learning and radio emerging as the most influential communication channels. The campaign led to notable behavior changes, with 86.4% of farmers adopting at least three Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices and 85.7% regularly monitoring their fields for pests and diseases. Awareness of approved pesticides rose to 70%, while adherence to Pre-harvest Intervals (PHI) increased to 86.4%. The use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during pesticide application also improved, and the uptake of Spray Service Providers (SSPs) increased to 18.6%, further reducing farmers' direct exposure to pesticides. The results demonstrate the value of SBCC in transforming pesticiderelated behaviours in agriculture. A multi-channel, community-driven strategy proved effective in reaching diverse farmer groups and encouraging safer practices. The Ukulima True campaign successfully increased awareness and adoption of safe pesticide practices, demonstrating the potential of SBCC in risk reduction and sustainable agriculture. However, challenges remain in addressing PPE access, behavioral barriers, and gender disparities. Integrating SBCC with policy support and multi-stakeholder collaboration is crucial for sustainable pesticide risk reduction.

Keywords: social and behaviour change communication, Pesticide risk reduction, Integrated Pest Management, Ukulima True, Space After: 8 pt, Line spacing: Multiple 1.16 li Font: (Default) Calibri, English (United States)

Received: 12 May 2025; Accepted: 04 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Njenga, Kansiime, Davis, Rugaita, Njunge, Mchana, Okaka and Bateman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Maureen W Njenga, CAB International, Nairobi, Kenya
Monica Kagorora Kansiime, CAB International, Nairobi, Kenya

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.