Judges in France are now considering an appropriate punishment for one organic winemaker who has refused to spray his vines with pesticides. Without spraying, they say he could be contributing to further infestation of the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus in the region. As the Guardian in the UK reports, Emmanuel Giboulot now faces a 6-month prison sentence and a €30,000 fine for failing to apply insecticide. His justification for refusing, he says, is that chemical measures are both ineffective at managing the pest, which can carry flavescence dorée disease, and damaging to pollinating insects such as bees. Instead, he insists the disease can be managed by more natural means. Over 41,000 people have signed a petition in his defense.
I live in a semi arid area in Nairobi Kenya, do you think I can grow a vine here? What advice would you give a young farmer in an urban semi- arid area?