19 February 2020 Pretoria – Measures which are taken at both the regional and national level, to combat plant pests and diseases contribute towards improved rural livelihoods, food security and increased opportunities in trade. The effective control of trans-boundary crop pests requires the development and implementation of harmonized national strategies based on globally recognized approaches and strategies

In Southern Africa, the European Union, having recognised the strategic importance of the agriculture sector, committed 9 million Euros to a programme titled “Support Towards the Operationalisation of the SADC Regional Agriculture Policy (RAP).” This programme is being implemented by FAO working with SADC.

In this programme five crop pests affecting trade and livelihoods within the region are being tackled. The five crop pests and diseases identified as priorities in this project are: Tuta absoluta; Fall Army Worm (FAW), fruit fly; maize lethal necrotic diseases; and banana fusarium wilt.

A training meeting was organised recently in South Africa bringing together various participants with the aim of enabling and strengthening the capacity of national institutions involved in plant protection to support farmers to effectively contain and manage fall armyworm and tuta absoluta.

“Many of our smallholder farmers are feeling the full effects of  these pests and we are pleased to have our member states receiving such training as these pests are major contributors to food insecurity in our region, thanks to FAO for coordinating this project and also the EU for funding it. As the SADC Chair we are grateful to our research partner for hosting this training and equipping us with this much needed knowledge and skills,” said Ms Beatrice Pallangyo, of Tanzania representing SADC.

Speaking at the opening of the training, the FAO Representative in South Africa said the project is expected to enhance the development of plant pest and disease management strategies at both national and regional level. The control strategies developed for both crop pests and diseases take into account climate variability and future climate change. This project recognizes that climate change can result in changed pest and disease dynamics over time and thus may prevent the sustainability of control measures,” he said.

“This training could not have come at a better time as most of our small-holder farmers have just planted and this is when the crops are at their most vulnerable state, these pests are indeed a menace to our farmers as they directly have a negative impact on crop production and yields. The skills and methods that we have learnt here will go a long way in ensuring that our farmers are better prepared. The technologies on display indeed do give us hope that we can be able to effectively monitor, manage and control these pests,” said Ms Salamina Maelane, DAFF, representing the host country.

More about the project

This is a Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) project that encompasses all the member states in the region. The project is here to operationalize the SADC Regional Agricultural Policy (RAP) that was crafted to develop and advance agriculture in the region. RAP was approved in June 2013 by SADC Council of Ministers. The SADC Regional Agricultural Investment Plan (RAIP) (2017-2022) was approved in July 2016 to operationalize the RAP. The RAIP was prepared in the context of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which was established in Maputo in 2003 as a pan-African policy framework to transform agriculture, create wealth, improve food security and nutrition and promote inclusive economic growth.