Sustainably toxic: Syngenta foundation`s work in Kenya

In April 2023 I was in Kenya to research the activities of the "Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture". Syngenta, the world's largest pesticide producer based in Basel, is financing its own foundation for "sustainable" agriculture. According to its own information, it is a non-profit organization and implements projects worldwide with renowned development and research partners. I visited several of the foundation's projects in Kenya and spoke to several farmers and employees of the foundation. My research showed that the foundation facilitates access to hybrid seeds and pesticides produced by Syngenta. Many of these pesticides are highly hazardous according to the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) and some are therefore banned in Switzerland and the EU. However, in the "Farmers Hubs" supported by the Syngenta foundation, they are sold to small-scale farmers without any protective equipment. This research was done in collaboration with the investigative team Reflekt and with the help of Kenyan journalist Reuben Kyama. It was published by Tamedias "SonntagsZeitung" and as online report on reflekt.ch.