Maize damaged by the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frujiperda

Photos courtesy of Marlin E. Rice

Fall Armyworm Workshop for East Africa

Harmony Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, July 14-15, 2017

 Background

The Fall Armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, a native to the tropics and sub tropics of North and South America, is a polyphagous pest attacking more than 80 different plant species, including maize. Maize is a major food staple in sub-Saharan Africa upon which more than 300 million people depend. Depending on the degree of infestation, the FAW can cause huge losses in maize yields and in some cases, total crop loss.

This pest has recently invaded Africa and is ravaging crops in more than 20 countries. It was first reported in Nigeria, West Africa, in early 2016. It soon spread to southern Africa in late 2016 and by early 2017 was confirmed to be in East Africa. If it is not effectively controlled, it is expected to cause $3bn loss to maize in Africa along with serious food shortages expected in the next year.

Needed action

Rapid action, immense awareness creation, and technological innovation, along with national, regional and international collaboration are required to thwart the threat of the fall armyworm in order to avoid severe economic losses among smallholder farmers across Africa. Crucial concerted efforts from international research centers, national research and extension programs, international development organizations, policy makers, and donor communities in East Africa are required to develop and deploy an effective integrated pest management strategy, which can provide sustainable solutions to effectively tackle the adverse effects of the FAW. Millions of East African farmers are currently on the road to recovery from last year’s shocking drought that resulted in a humanitarian crisis. Now, they are facing this new threat to their livelihood.

Workshop objectives

To effectively fight this pest, the IPM Innovation Lab/ Virginia Tech and USAID, in partnership with icipe, is organizing a regional FAW awareness and management workshop. This workshop will bring stakeholders and experts from the United States, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, and Tanzania to share their experiences and challenges in dealing with the FAW. The workshop will also include discussions on needed action in terms of research and development in the region. The results and recommendations made from this workshop will be used as feedback to design an effective management strategy to manage the FAW in East Africa and beyond.

On behalf of the workshop organizers

Tadele Tefera

Country Head icipe Ethiopia, PI for IPM Innovation Lab Grains IPM for East Africa Project and IAPPS Coordinator, Region V East Africa