In Malawi and Zambia, a group of researchers from World Agroforestry (ICRAF), Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI), and Malawi's Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS) is implementing a five-year research project: "Developing Smallholder Strategies for Fall Armyworm Management in Southern Africa: Examining the Effectiveness of Ecological Control Options", in sub-Saharan Africa. The project's main objective is to develop appropriate, low-cost, pest-control strategies based on smallholders' ecological approaches.

The researchers have joined FAO's Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control to ensure a robust and coordinated approach in developing innovative tools to challenge the pest. Under the project, a standardized trial on agroecological methods to fall armyworm management that focuses on soil management and intercropping to help identify sustainable, science-based solutions for smallholders is conducted.