Wheat rust diseases threaten to affect approximately 0.5 million hectares of Turkmenistan’s arable land. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is supporting the government of Turkmenistan to develop the first ever national strategy and the accompanying contingency plan for the prevention and management of the complex wheat rusts.

At the High Level Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) Forum on Food Security and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Uzbekistan, FAO locust experts called on countries to invest in preventive measures and new technologies to protect food security and ensure sustainable environment. Among the high-level participants included FAO Director General, QU Dongyu, and Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, Abdulla Aripov. 

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean are among the most vulnerable to external shocks and climate-related changes including exacerbation and proliferation of plant pathogenic diseases like Foc TR4. FAO in partnership with the Caribbean Plant Health Directors Forum is using the farmer field school (FFS) approach to train technical staff, extension workers, and other stakeholders to prepare for a potential Foc TR4 incursion in the Caribbean.

During the two-day workshop, the two countries shared their knowledge in plant health emergency preparedness and management, and other areas of interest. The field visits conducted aimed to promote local, cost-effective, and proven development solutions, particularly in emergency situations involving vegetable virus diseases.

Foc TR4, a soilborne fungus causing banana Fusarium wilt, was first detected in Africa on two farms in northern Mozambique in 2013. The fungus was effectively confined to the infested properties until 2019 when it was found on Mayotte island, and subsequently in the...

The migratory and transboundary nature of locusts requires that affected countries and stakeholders share knowledge and experience. It is against this backdrop that FAO and Argentina exchanged knowledge and information on effective locust management. 

Given the rising incidence of plant health emergencies around the world, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) developed the Progressive Pathway for Emergency Preparedness (PPEP) a capacity building process and tool to help countries to self-assess their needs and capacity for emergency preparedness.

In a global effort to safeguard agriculture and livelihoods, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) champions coordinated strategies against transboundary plant pests and diseases. At the International Plant Protection Congress, experts spotlight FAO's innovative approaches and efforts that are shaping how countries deal with these transboundary plant pests and diseases for resilience agrifood systems. 

Desert locust and information officers from Somalia and Oman have been equipped with knowledge and skills in the use eLocust3 digital tools suite and other reporting techniques necessary in desert locust management. Somalia and Oman are desert locust breeding frontline countries.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) presented the newly developed integrated biosecurity index (IBI) and assessment tool in support of the countries to analyze and manage risks associated with linkages between human, plant, and animal health and environment sectors. It is noted that inadequate controls in one sector can have far-reaching consequences for other sectors.

In the Marshall Islands, where the Pacific Ocean's vibrant turquoise waters meet scattered atolls, the coconut palm stands majestically as both a vital emblem of sustenance and a profound cultural symbol. Known affectionately as "the tree of life," the coconut palm is deeply integrated into the Marshallese way of life, inspiring legends and serving a variety of practical purposes.

Two parasitoids introduced in mealybug (Rastrococcus invadens) in Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda have freed an estimated 250 000 mango trees from this pest and supported the livelihoods of many farmers in the region. These beneficial insects were introduced to control the mango mealybug population by laying their eggs inside them, ultimately killing the pest and preventing further infestations.

As part of its ongoing efforts to maintain the preparedness to fight the desert locust, especially in invasion countries, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations conducted a crucial refresher training for locust officers from frontline counties as well as crop protection officers and equipped them with principles of desert locust survey and reporting.

Within the framework of the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP II), practical training was given to farmers on recognition and integrated management of wheat rust diseases at the Ikizce Research and Production Farm of the Field Crops Central Research Institute Directorate in Gölbaşı, Ankara.

The FAO’s Locust Pesticide Management System is being implemented in Ethiopia where it is used in the organization and recording data of desert locust pesticide control products and equipment in Kaliti store. Using the application, the Locust-PMS focal officers can register pesticide products for locust control, track useable and obsolete pesticides and empty containers, and monitor disposal of obsolete pesticides and associated waste, among other tasks.

The FAO-developed SusaHamra system has been launched in Jordan as its official national red palm weevil monitoring application, becoming the second country after Tunisia which adopted the system for monitoring and surveying the pest in the affected areas. The system is powered by PlantVillage.

When the desert locust upsurge of 2019–2022 occurred in Kenya, Esbon Agira, was deployed as a base manager in Marsabit County, north of the country. His work involved surveying desert locusts and provided information to the locust control operation teams. “Before the desert locust invasion, we were not prepared as a country. The last time Kenya faced the locust invasion of that magnitude was 70 years ago. There were thus no dedicated experts in desert locust management, and we lacked appropriate equipment and adequate pesticides to conduct control operations,” says Esbon.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is reviewing its integrated biosecurity index tool essential in refining the measurement of biosecurity system status and progress at both national and sub-national levels, ensuring effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. At the national level, the index is envisioned as a planning tool, facilitating comprehensive assessments across ministries to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This comprehensive tool encompasses five critical sectors: aquatic and terrestrial animal health, plant health, food safety, and forestry/invasive species management. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has called for sustained locust management in Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA), based on long-term regional cooperation, monitoring and early warning systems, as well as advanced and safer control techniques, in particular biopesticides. The call was made at the side-event of the 34th session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe (ERC34).

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations constructed five (5) Desert Locust centres in Yemen's key breeding areas. The initiative is part of the ongoing efforts to control & manage the pest in the Near East region. The Seiyun centre has been handed over to local authorities in Seiyun, in Hadramout governorate in Yemen. The country is one of the most significant Desert Locust breeding reservoirs in the region and the establishment of these Centres will mitigate pest outbreaks in the region and beyond.