The coming 21-25^th July 2017, a workshop will be held in Accra, Ghana in order to develop a Farmer Field School curriculum on the ecological management of the Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera Frugiperda, J.E. Smith. Indeed, after a first appearance in Nigeria in early 2016, FAW is now present in 22 African countries, in most of the sub-regions. Ecological pest management strategies need to be put in place to avoid significant damages to agriculture and food security in those regions and to reduce the risk of overuse of chemical pesticides.

The main objectives of the workshop are as follows:

• Develop a training curricula for FAW integrated pest management for use by trained facilitators in ongoing FFS across Africa
• Build capacity of participating senior FFS trainers on FAW
• Develop a strategy plan for roll-out of the FAW management response in Africa through FFS and training of extension workers

FAO plays a central role in facilitating a coordinated response to the FAW outbreak in Africa. Long, medium and short-term actions have been identified in order to build an integrated and effective response including: monitoring and early warning systems, mass education campaigns, farmer training on use of an agro-ecosystem approach through Farmer Field Schools, and impact assessment.

For further detailed information, please contact: [email protected] and [email protected] (FAW response), [email protected] (Farmer Field Schools)

More information on FAW here.