The Fall Armyworm (FAW) is an invasive pest that first appeared in the Asian region in India in July 2018. Since then FAW continues to spread in the region. As of today, FAW has been found in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and China. With the fast spread, a meeting in March will be timely to discuss sound strategies for FAW management in the region, building on experiences gained so far in Asia, but also on those from elsewhere. FAW first arrived in Africa in 2016 and spread quickly to over 40 countries by 2018.

FAW is indigenous to the central Americas, and routinely managed by smallholder maize growers using agro-ecological approaches. As FAW continues to spread, FAO helps member countries be aware of the threat, take action to monitor arrival, take early action, learn lessons from other regions, further strengthen the community of international experts, develop regional and national plans of action, and identify the current knowledge gaps to identify research priorities and work closely with farmers and their organizations in responding.

To begin this process in Asia, the Consultative Meeting on FAW in Asia is scheduled for the purpose of:

• Raise awareness on risks of having FAW spread into countries and within countries.
• Introduce tools and guidance available that help the countries to monitor and sustainably manage FAW.
• Exchange experiences and lessons learnt from the recent invasion in Africa, and develop a community of experts to provide technical and policy advice.
• Fine-tune the strategic framework for sustainable FAW management to the Asian context including actions that can be taken at regional and country level.

FAO will work closely with the IPPC and other partners to bring together country representatives and experts to share knowledge and experiences and help the region to prepare and timely respond to this new pest and to manage it in a sustainable way.

The meeting report is available here