Monrovia- In an efforts to mitigate and boost the resilience of farmers against the Fall Armyworm (FAW) infestation on maize, vegetable and other related food crops in Liberia, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) during the week held a two-day interactive training section for vegetable producers and extension officers in Kakata, Margibi County.

The two-day exercise brought together approximately 28 participants from Margibi and Montserrado Counties including extension officers from the Ministry of Agriculture decentralize offices within the two counties.

The participants were trained in the application of Farmer Field School concepts, methodologies and principles that support the implementation of an integrated ecological and sustainable way of managing FAW attack on food crops.

Farmers’ education and community action, according to FAO, are critical elements to sustainably manage the FAW.

Madam E. Musu Tuahyounn, County Agriculture Coordinator (CAC) in Kakata, Margibi County said “In 2008 the Government of Liberia experienced an outbreak of Armyworm that eventually destroyed major crops, but with the help of FAO and other partners, we were able to overcome the attack”

“FAW require vigorous actions to stop the spread due to the danger associated with this deadly pest. The destruction of the pest start from the vegetative stage, if not control, farmers will lose more yield and their income will reduce,” she added.

She furthered noted that the MoA embraces FAO effort to providing technical guidance for farmers to acquire control measures on the spread and destruction of FAW.  She than described the exercise as “timely” noting that the FAW has inflicted serious damage for vegetable farmers, “If you travel to most of the farms you will experience that due to the FAW attacked farmers abandoned their fields as they have no knowledge on the preventive measures”.

The CAC urged participants to take advantage of the knowledge provided and replicate same to farmers at the community levels on the early prevention of the pest; according to her, preventing the pest will support farmers for achievable results.

Madam Tuahyounn mentioned that the training revealed that the pest attacks variety of crops such as cereals, (rice, maize, sorghum etc.) and vegetables (cabbage, tomatoes, watermelon, garden eggs/bitter balls etc.), among others  She said 10 farmer groups’ heads from ten (10) communities within the two counties benefited from the training.

FAO International Consultant, Mariatuo Dagnoko who served as lead facilitator from FAO regional office (RAF) in Accra, Ghana, informed the participants on the early detection of the pest to avoid huge damage of their crops, “As the result of the FAW attacked, FAO and partners has taken steps to support countries affected to safe farmers from further loses.”

For Liberia, she said to enlighten farmers on the early prevention and control measures, FAO through the Ministry of Agriculture has gathered vegetable farmers and extension workers to be trained and roll out the message to other farmers, “This is why we have organized this training of trainers to educate the farmers on the identification and early control of the pest”.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Momo D. Saingbe, explained that “We have been facing this problem for long now, thank God that today we are able to acquire knowledge on the identification of the pest and how to prevent it,”

Mr. Saingbe, General Secretary, Kukatonu- “We are one” Farmers Association, a group of fifteen members in Bassa Town Community, Kakata, Margibi County said things has improved with their group since coming in contact with the FAO/MoA Peri-Urban project.

“We are grateful for FAO because we no longer borrow farm tools, few weeks ago FAO supplied some assorted hand tools to enable us conduct our work” he added.

 “Our vegetables are in serious danger from the attack of this pest, with the knowledge acquired, I can assure you that when I get back to my community, I will teach the farmers all the preventive measures taught me.”

Meanwhile, at the end of the session, it was recommended that farmers begin monitoring and scouting of the crops earlier for early detection of the FAW and to determine the threshold level for control using Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The use of chemicals “preferably non synthetic” can be used in an event where the IPM failed