IPM is key to sustainable control of FAW in Southern Africa
In Southern Africa, maize accounts for 80 percent of cereal production with 15 million hectares and 28 million tons of maize produced annually. Photo ©FAO/Teopista Mutesi
Maize remains a crucial part of the food security equation in Southern Africa and other sub-regions on the continent for both human and animal consumption. Close to 90 percent of approximately 347 million people in Southern Africa are dependent on maize as their staple food.
Yet, maize faces serious risks from fall armyworm (FAW) during all the stages of its growth.
The Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI)’s latest estimate of the total annual cost of invasive alien species in Africa shows that FAW causes the highest annual yield losses, worth USD 9.4 billion.
At a recent FAW virtual conference, with the theme “Developing smallholder-oriented integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda Smith) management,” government representatives, scientists and researchers from around the world detailed the current challenges to developing and promoting smallholder-oriented IPM and exchanged best practices.
Integrating all available nature tactics
Participants stressed the importance of using IPM. That’s defined as an approach that integrates various pest management tactics and prioritizes safer and cost-effective options such as use of resistant varieties, agroecological techniques, and biological control before using biopesticides. Synthetic pesticides are reserved as the very last resort.
“FAO just released a new publication “Prevention, preparedness, and response guidelines for Fall Armyworm” targeting countries where the pest is absent or of limited distribution, and where FAW host plants represent a major crop.,” Ismahane Elouafi, FAO Chief Scientist, told the virtual conference. “We hope that these guidelines will be used by national plant protection organizations to take suitable actions at the proper time against fall armyworm through timely detection to prevent or slow the spread of the pest,” said Elouafi.
The spread and the extent of the damage inflicted by FAW on fields, combined with the extreme worry by farmers and calls for emergency action from governments, has meant that a great deal of synthetic pesticides have been used to try to control the pest. Some of these chemical pesticides pose a risk to both humans and the environment as they can poison water bodies and soils.
Promoting high quality integrated pest management options
“Reduction in the use of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) is one area that is critical for the safety of our environment and our farmers, who usually are resource poor and have limited protection against these HHPs,” said Patrice Talla, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and Representative to Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Eswatini, at a related Fall Armyworm Policy Workshop.
Hosted by the Government of Malawi and organized by FAO, World Agroforestry (ICRAF), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), with financial support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), the workshop highlighted the role of IPM in integrating nature-available tactics for FAW management. It is also a critical ally in safeguarding Africa’s food security, improving rural livelihoods, and enhancing the resilience of people and communities.
“The information shared is very important for all of us to manage FAW in our various countries and the region. Research work on management of FAW should continue in our countries and at regional level to support agricultural development and the attainment of food security,” said David Kamangira, Senior Deputy Director of Agricultural Research Services in Malawi.
“Southern African Development Community, in collaboration with FAO, is implementing a project to support the operationalization of its Regional Agricultural Policy to manage both plant and animal transboundary pests and diseases that also include fall armyworm,” said Domingos Gove, Director of Food Agriculture and Natural Resources, Southern African Development Community.
Global Action for Fall Armyworm
FAO has played a significant role to support countries to respond to the pest invasion, and is working together with other stakeholders. Currently, FAO is coordinating the Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control (GA) to ensure a strong, coordinated approach at global, regional and country levels to sustainably control FAW.
“We have learned that integrated pest management is key, but if it is to function well, monitoring of fall armyworm is a prerequisite. In terms of reaching out to smallholder farmers, field level extension agents, partners and governments, FAO’s Global Action has provided an appropriate vehicle for creating connections between the Fall Armyworm Secretariat and our member countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Near East regions,” said Xia Jingyuan, Director, FAO Plant Production and Protection Division.
The research findings presented on low-cost, non-toxic, highly specific strategies for smallholders to manage FAW, showed that agroecological approaches are effective against the pest and provide additional benefits.
Recommendations from the workshop encouraged support for research into improved IPM outcomes, including FAW impacts, agroecological and cultural control options, as well as augmentative and traditional biological control. Also highlighted was the fact that monitoring and early warning about FAW was essential in order to win the battle for sustainable management of the pest.
“We have also discussed if one should integrate the fall armyworm-related work into more holistic pest management programmes, and thus, ensuring that solutions to fall armyworm fit within national plant protection research agendas and strategies,” said May-Guri Sæthre of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).
Taking a tough stance on use of toxic pesticides
Participants throughout the conference agreed that the roles of both the public- and private-sectors are pivotal in discouraging the importation and use of toxic pesticides, including de-registering highly hazardous pesticides. However, the use of safe chemical pesticides would be allowed as a last resort when monitoring indicates that pest populations exceed threshold levels.
The private-sector’s contribution is equally critical especially in supporting better understanding of the dangers of pesticide misuse, as well as the need to comply with safety measures, especially in the use of protective clothing, respect for recommended field re-entry periods, and appropriate disposal of pesticide containers. From the government side, policymakers now need to strengthen and promote approaches to developing smallholder-oriented IPM solutions for FAW management, as well as enabling laws, regulations and policy frameworks.
Relevant links:
FAO Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control
Prevention, preparedness and response guidelines for Spodoptera frugiperda
Video recording: Fall Armyworm virtual Conference “Developing smallholder-oriented IPM strategies for Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda Smith) management”
Scientists turn to smallholder-oriented integrated pest management solutions to combat Fall Armyworm
Contact information:
Kevin Mazorodze, Communications Specialist, Harare
Teopista Mutesi, Communications Specialist, FAO Resilience Hub, Johannesburg
Towela Munthali, Communications Officer, Malawi