Workshop boosts awareness of fall armyworm in Gabon
02 March 2021 – A recent ten-day capacity-building workshop in Gabon captured significant news media interest in fall armyworm (FAW) and boosted national awareness of the destructive pest.
The workshop, held in three major cities consecutively from 7 to 17 December 2020, was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Gabon’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food. The 60 participants gained valuable knowledge on how to recognize FAW and differentiate it from other pests, how to manage it in the field, as well as which control and prevention methods to use.
In compliance with COVID-19 safety measures, group work occurred in classrooms and in maize and sugar cane fields. The participants included lead farmers, heads of agricultural sectors and technical support centres from each of the provinces. The workshop also reviewed systems to support sharing of information at local levels in Gabon’s nine provinces.
The workshop held in the city of Lambaréné involved the provinces of l’Estuaire, Moyen-Ogooué and Woleu-Ntem, and Ogooué-Maritime; in the city of Mouila, the workshop drew people from the provinces of Nyanga and Ngounié; and Franceville served the provinces of Haut-Ogooué, Ogooué-Lolo and Ogooué-Ivindo. The 2020 workshop event builds upon a sub-regional workshop held in December 2019 in Franceville, which brought together nearly 50 officials from the ministries in charge of agriculture and research in eight countries.
FAW, which has now spread across most of the world, was first reported in Gabon in 2016 in the province of l’Estuaire. FAO has supported the countries of the sub-region of central Africa through numerous projects and emergency assistance, and continues to work with partners to better determine the geographical distribution and assess the incidence of FAW.
Participants received certificates acknowledging their participation, as well as flyers with important information on FAW recognition and management to share with other farmers and colleagues. Knowledge of the destructive pest was also increased across the country through news media reports about the workshop and the FAW issue, disseminated on national television and radio stations, online media and social networks.
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