Farmers in Uganda to benefit from a new FAO project to address Fall Armyworm outbreak in the country.
Kampala, Uganda – Farmers in Uganda are set to get relief after the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a new technical cooperation (TCP) project with the government of Uganda whose objective is to address the Fall Armyworm threat that has affected several maize farms since 2016.
The project, TCP/UGA/3605: Support to Enhance National Capacity for the Management of Fall Armyworm (FAW) in Uganda, will contribute to other ongoing efforts aimed at protecting the livelihoods and food security of communities that are dependent on maize.
The two year project designed upon request of the government of Uganda, is funded by FAO to the tune of UGX 1.7 billion (USD $483,000) as part of the Technical Cooperation Programme.
Speaking at the launch of the project, Dr. Charles Owach, the Assistant FAO Representative in charge of programmes in Uganda reported that the project is designed to develop capacities of farmers and key actors/stakeholders on surveillance, monitoring and management of the FAW with focus on establishing surveillance, monitoring and community based early warning system, strengthening integrated management of the FAW, improving public awareness and strengthening institutional coordination frameworks.
“This project has been formulated with the understanding that the most effective and sustainable option for the management of this transboundary pest, is community based integrated pest management (IPM) – an approach that embraces the synergetic use of a combination of effective, economic and safe options,” said Dr. Owach. He added that emphasis will be at community level where surveillance, monitory and timely reporting are crucial.
The worm was first reported in July 2016 in three districts of Kasese, Kayunga and Bukedea. By July 2017, it had spread to 115 districts with reported yield losses of between about 15 – 100 per cent of maize grain. The pest also attacked other crops such as sorghum with far reaching implications on food security and livelihoods.
Maize is third most important food crop in Uganda with 4 million metric tons produced by about 3.6 million farmers annually.
Despite reported bumper harvest of maize registered in Uganda in the last season of 2017, experts warn that over 3.6 million households are at risk if the necessary control measures are not supported/strengthened to contain FAW spread and damage in the country.
The commissioner for Crop Production in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Dr Stephen Byantware, said that this TCP project comes at the right time when the government is focusing on community based approaches to contain the worm.
“At the climax of the FAW outbreak, FAO engaged and trained Uganda technical personnel to address this problem. This new additional project fits into our national FAW control strategy and it is my hope that the ministry, working with other partners, commits to its successful implementation,” Dr. Byantware said.
He further noted that the government of Uganda has secured more funding to support the Karamoja region which is the worst affected region in the country having registered 100 per cent maize and sorghum loss due to the FAW.
Handover of 480 bucket pheromone trap
During the inception meeting of the project, FAO also handed over 480 bucket pheromone traps to assist government in trapping the pest. The traps yield good results for moth catch and FAW monitoring given its ability to lure the moth and has demonstrated the best results compared to the other pheromone formulations.
The traps will be supervised by two farmer forecasters (one male, one female) who share responsibility for trap monitoring, data collection and reporting. This move will further enhance FAO and government efforts to control the pest in order to save the livelihoods of millions of Ugandans who have been affected.