23/11/2022 China / Nigeria — A USD 350,000 contribution from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will help to improve plant pest management through the use of Early Warning Systems (EWS) in Nigeria. This work will be carried out through FAO’s South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) platform.

Agriculture is a key activity for Nigeria’s economy and provides livelihoods for many Nigerians. Crop production remains the largest subsector, but plant diseases and pests cause huge yield losses and pose a major threat to food security.

“Effective EWS to support crop production is urgently needed for Nigeria to respond and prepare for the potential outbreaks of major insects and diseases,” said Fred Kafeero, FAO Representative to Nigeria. "A well-functioning EWS can provide strategic guidance to agricultural authority, academics, researchers and even farmers, and also equip them to take the appropriate measures to control the plant pests,” he added.

“Collaborating with FAO and other international organizations is critical to coordinate the efforts across the board and support inclusive agricultural transformation in developing countries, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa, to ensure global food security and achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger. The early warning system will enable producers to take appropriate measures to prevent any major outbreaks caused by devastating crop diseases and pests. It has proven to be a cost-effective way to safeguard agricultural productivity in China,” said Dr. Zhi-Jie Zheng, China Country Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

FAO Deputy Director-General, Beth Bechdol, highlighted that “through the SSTC platform, we can transform lives. FAO plays a critical role in facilitating access to knowledge, training, resources, mobile apps and other digital tools. This will provide essential support to upgrade Early Warning Systems and will provide much needed help to increase agricultural productivity in Nigeria”.

FAO and experts from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and from Nigerian institutions will work together to assess the needs, and co-design an EWS for specific priority crop-pests in Nigeria. One of the priorities is the Fall Armyworm (FAW), a destructive plant pest that is affecting food production and incomes of more than a million farmers across Nigeria. EWS and other technologies will help farmers mitigate damages caused by FAW, will improve long term food security and self-sufficiency, and benefit smallholder farmers and vulnerable communities whose livelihoods rely on agricultural production.

FAO's role in South-South and Triangular Cooperation spans over 40 years of experience. FAO is a lead promoter and facilitator of SSTC in agriculture, food security and nutrition. SSTC enables countries to benefit from the experience and expertise of other developing countries, largely through the deployment of experts from provider countries to work directly with farmers in rural communities of recipient countries.