Please note two items from FAO’s Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control.
Buyung Hadi
Agricultural Officer (IPM), FAO Rome
- The FAO Technical Network on Sustainable Crop Production and Agroecology webinar:
Title: Pesticide and biopesticide in fall armyworm control: Protecting Health of Plants, People and the Planet
Date/time: Thursday, 11 June 2020, 4:00 – 5:00 PM (Rome Time – CEST)
Link: <https://fao.zoom.us/j/98440051071> (Zoom Meeting ID: 984 400 51071; Password: 809434)
Abstract: This webinar will capture current knowledge concerning the status of pesticides and biopesticides in the fall armyworm (FAW) response, highlighting experiences from Kenya and South Sudan. Broad spectrum and high-risk pesticides are in widespread use against FAW. However, these act as a barrier to the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) by limiting pest suppression by FAW’s natural enemies. Yet, widespread marketing of inappropriate pesticides continues, education about application and personal protection is lacking, and understanding of economic impacts is poor. Therefore, accurate and high integrity data is essential, as well as methods of communicating these data in a form that can be used in decision-making. Biopesticides (baculoviruses, bacteria and fungi) offer a safe, environmentally friendly option that is compatible with IPM for FAW control, but these currently comprise only a small part of the pesticides market globally. There are a number of barriers to their widespread adoption that must be overcome before they can offer a viable alternative to more hazardous chemical pesticides. These barriers include issues regarding registration, cost, perceptions, availability, education and efficacy.
In South Sudan’s Bor, Juba, and Yambio regions, a trial project with farmers in the use of a baculovirus for FAW management has been under way. Meanwhile, in many countries’ rural areas – with dispersed markets and poor infrastructure – pesticides reach users through an input delivery system, where agrodealers (also known as stockists or agrovets) are key players. With an estimated 10 000 agrodealers, Kenya is one of the African countries with the most extensive agrodealer networks. Because of their position in these networks, agrodealers can become potential sources of information for farmers about the safe and efficient use of pesticides. The objectives of this webinar include a thorough discussion of problems related to pesticide safety, barriers to promoting biopesticides, and a review of an example from South Sudan with regard to the efficient use of biopesticides.
Speakers: Paul Jepson (Oregon State University), Ken Wilson (Lancaster University), Ivan Rwomushana (CABI)
- New knowledge product materials:
Technical guidelines on sustainable management of fall armyworm in its year-round breeding areas
Global action on fall armyworm control
Addressing the impact of COVID-19 on the Global Action on Fall armyworm Control
Global Plant Protection News 
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