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Book (stand-alone)Technical guidance on fall armyworm
Coordinated surveillance and an early warning system for the sustainable management of transboundary pests, with special reference to fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda [J.E. Smith]) in South and Southeast Asia
2022Also available in:
No results found.Worldwide, maize is the third most important cereal after rice and wheat. It occupies 197 million hectares of planted area. Asia contributes to nearly 30 percent of global maize supplies, and area and production of the crop is rapidly increasing in the continent. Minimum support prices, swelling market demand from the animal feed and processing industries, as well as human consumption, have all led to increased maize production in zones where precipitation limits rice cultivation. However, maize production is currently threatened by the arrival in Asia (in 2018) of the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) – a native to North America. It invaded India in 2018 and since then it has marched to most of the Asian countries. In 2019, its presence was confirmed in 13 Asian countries including Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam. In 2020, it was confirmed in Australia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea. In August 2021, it reached the Solomon Islands, posing a serious threat to other Pacific islands. FAW is a fast-dispersing, migratory, transboundary insect pest. While high FAW incidences have been reported on several crops in Asia, the most important economic damage caused is to maize (followed by sorghum). The FAW invasion threatens the food security of millions of family farms in Asia, with smallholder farmers being especially vulnerable. The negative economic impact of FAW is not only evident in yield loss: the pest also leads to a significant increase in insecticide applications, with associated health, environmental and cost issues. At the same time, resilience to FAW on the continent is currently weakened by the limited access to necessary tools, technologies and sustainable integrated pest management (IPM) practices for FAW. Thus, there is an urgent need to implement an effective approach to FAW management in Asia. -
ProjectSupport to Enhance Preparedness for Fall Armyworm Invasion among Countries - TCP/INT/3705 2023
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Fall armyworm ( is a noctuid moth native to the Americas, which is considered a pest due to the substantial agricultural damage it can cause Its larvae feed on over 80 crop species, including maize, rice, sorghum, millet, sugarcane, cotton, and various vegetable species, thus posing a threat to vital rural economies The FAW was reported in Africa for the first time in early 2016 in West and Central African countries and rapidly spread throughout sub Saharan Africa, causing significant agricultural and economic losses The emergence of the FAW was confirmed in India and Yemen in July 2018 and was later reported in Bangladesh Sri Lanka, and Thailand by 2019 A decline in agricultural productivity jeopardizes not only food security but also the livelihoods of farmers Because of crop trade and the moth's remarkable flying capacity, the FAW has the potential to spread to further countries, posing a major risk to crop production, particularly cereals In light of this, many countries have requested assistance to fight against the spread of the FAW and acquire management techniques, as well as monitoring and surveillance for early detection FAO initiated the Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control 2019 2022 as an urgent response to the rapid spread of the FAW This initiative assists smallholder farmers, their associations, public institutions, national governments, and development partners in responding rapidly to FAW infestation In this regard, FAO created a free mobile application for real time FAW monitoring, the fall armyworm monitoring and early warning system ( The Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control has established a global coordination structure to foster an open and collaborative dialogue towards achieving science based solutions This coordination structure is composed of a steering committee ( a working group on resource mobilization ( a technical committee ( and seven technical working groups ( In addition, national task forces ( were created at country levels FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division ( provides technical leadership through the FAW Secretariat, in collaboration with the International Plant Protection Convention ( Secretariat This approach allows all stakeholders, scientists, and governments to interactively discuss challenges and propose solutions that are tailored to each country The project took part in these coordination efforts and sought to assist newly infested countries in taking immediate action in response to the emergence of the FAWFall armyworm ( is a noctuid moth native to the Americas, which is considered a pest. -
BookletBurkina Faso: Impact of fall armyworm on maize production, livelihoods and food security
DIEM-Impact report, July 2023
2023Also available in:
No results found.Since its appearance in 2016, fall armyworm has spread to many countries and remains one of the main threats to agriculture and food security in Africa. Among the countries affected by fall armyworm in West Africa and the Sahel, Burkina Faso was selected for this assessment based on the production level of maize, level of fall armyworm infestation and associated recorded or estimated crop losses, presence of other shocks and level of food insecurity. In addition, the Cadre Harmonisé analysis indicated that 12 percent of the population was in Phase 3+ over the second half of 2022, the highest in West Africa. This impact assessment follows a methodology developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' (FAO's) Data in Emergencies Information System (DIEM), articulated in three steps: a household survey, a scouting exercise to measure the level of fall armyworm infestation, and a crop cutting experiment conducted at harvest time to determine the yields. The objective was to assess the impact of fall armyworm on maize production, and the livelihoods and food security of maize farmers in Burkina Faso. FAO established DIEM-Impact to provide a granular and rapid understanding of the impact of large-scale hazards on agriculture and agricultural livelihoods using a variety of assessment methodologies, including primary and secondary information, remote sensing technologies, and FAO’s damage and loss methodology. DIEM-Impact presents a regularly updated and accessible assessment of the state of food insecurity in fragile environments and helps underpin FAO's programming based on evidence.
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