Biologicals

Pest Preparedness – Boosting Food Security, Farmer Incomes And Agricultural Trade

18 October 2024, Africa: To mark World Food Day this week, CABI’s Dr Roger Day, Global Advisor, Plant Health, looks at ‘foods for a better life and a better future’ and how pest preparedness not only improves food security but also strengthens food value chains and agricultural trade for more robust economies.

Pest preparedness is a critical element of food security. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that in 2021 as many as 828 million people went hungry every day, unable to access enough nutritious and safe food. This figure is exacerbated by food loss. The FAO estimates that up to 40% of crop yields are lost to plant pests and diseases every year. Invasive pests like fall armyworm can destroy entire crops, leaving smallholders struggling for food and income.

Preparing for pests can help to safeguard food security. While keeping pests out of a country can be included in pest preparedness, a key part of it is being ready to respond quickly and effectively if and when a new pest outbreak appears. This is often called contingency or emergency planning. Countries that anticipate pest invasions help to defend against crop losses, preventing hunger and poverty.

Furthermore, efforts made to monitor and prepare for pest invasions pay dividends economically. They improve and protect farmer livelihoods and outputs and strengthen food value chains and trade. Pest preparedness improves plant biosecurity and supports the achievement of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards. It reduces the disruption caused by pest threats, helping the flow of exports into valuable markets to continue. Preventing costly pest invasions ultimately enhances economic growth and stability.

This blog looks at pest preparedness – what it is and its challenges, as well as the programmes, projects and tools that support it. It also considers the impact that these initiatives have on food security, including smallholder livelihoods, food value chains, agricultural trade and economic growth.

The challenges of preparing for pests – taking a multi-pathway approach

Pest preparedness can be a complex endeavour. How broadly should countries monitor for pests? What criteria should governments use to prioritize pest risks? What specific threats exist and, subsequently, what concrete actions should be taken? Furthermore, how might pest risks impact food security and agricultural trade? Countries cannot always prepare for the sometimes hundreds of risks that pests pose. It is also difficult to prepare for the global spread of a pest that reproduces quickly, feeds on many species and spreads through trade routes.

Take fall armyworm, for example. Native to the Americas, this invasive pest arrived in Africa in 2016. Here, it spread rapidly due to its adaptability and high reproductive rate. Countries were caught off guard and many lacked control measures or pest preparedness approaches. The pest devastated key crops such as maize, causing widespread food insecurity and US$9.4 billion in agricultural losses across the continent.

A high pest risk like fall armyworm required a multi-tiered approach. Countries implemented a range of techniques to prepare for and control its spread. Knowing what action to take and when can remain challenging.

The many facets of pest preparedness

Preparing for pests is a multi-faceted process. However, it offers numerous benefits and reaps rewards when approached at multiple levels, from individual farms to regional or even global efforts, and from broad, long-range scanning to targeted prevention of a specific pest threat.

Pest horizon scanning

Pest horizon scanning, for example, is a proactive method used to identify future pest threats by analyzing emerging risks and trends. It anticipates challenges that are on the horizon and prioritizes those that may need future monitoring or preventive action.

Pest contingency planning

Contingency – or emergency – response plans are another element of pest preparedness. These are plans that are made to respond to a pest when it is not yet present, so that when it arrives, a quick and effective response can be implemented. It is possible to have general or generic contingency or preparedness plans, or specific ones targeted at specific pests. Ideally, every country should have general contingency plans. However, for high-risk pests, especially ones that are clearly about to make their way into a country, a species-specific plan is appropriate. The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) has produced a guideline on pest risk contingency planning. It has also created the Pest Outbreak Alert and Response System (POARS) Steering Group, to which CABI belongs, which aims to improve preparedness and response to new pests.

Pathway Pest Risk Analysis

Pathway Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) is a more detailed process that assesses the risks posed by a specific pest or group of pests. It determines appropriate measures to manage or mitigate them. Importantly, it can help authorities to implement sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures to protect against pest risks, while minimising the effect to trade.

Pest Risk Monitoring

More real-time in nature, Pest Risk Monitoring Reports provide information about specific pest threats that have yet to enter a country, based on regular scanning of global information. They deliver more immediate, month-to-month information, helping to indicate whether a risk is increasing or decreasing.

How is CABI helping countries to prepare for pest threats?

In 2018 and 2019, CABI introduced the Horizon Scanning Tool and the Pest Risk Analysis Tool, both of which are used in PlantwisePlus capacity building activities to help countries identify and prevent pest threats. Ghana’s Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) has used the PRA Tool since 2018 for commodity pest risk assessments.

In 2021, a PRA conducted by Ghana on tomatoes imported from Morocco revealed the risk of an invasive pathogen. This led to Ghana banning tomato imports from Morocco. Furthermore, the discovery of unauthorized imports also prompted additional training for inspectors at border points. Since then, PPRSD has conducted PRAs on 14 other priority pests, including Asian citrus psyllid and banana bunchy top virus. The PRA Tool now plays a key role in regularly updating Ghana’s quarantine pest list and effectively managing pest risks based on empirical data.

CABI also worked with governments supporting them as they addressed the global spread of fall armyworm from 2016. Our 2018 Fall Armyworm Evidence Note was a resource for countries to use if they had already found fall armyworm in their country and needed to respond. They also used the note in instances when fall armyworm was not present in their country, but plans were necessary to detail how they could or would respond if and when the pest arrived.

Sometimes preparedness focuses on preparing to respond to pests that are already present, but which may have seasonal outbreaks. See our blog on PlantwisePlus and the Pest Preparedness Pathway, and learn about the UK Space Agency-funded Pest Risk Information Service (PRISE), which helps farmers prepare for pest outbreaks by providing timely alerts.

Preparing for pests to safeguard future food security and economic growth

Pest preparedness is essential for ensuring food security, strengthening agricultural value chains and supporting trade. By proactively identifying and mitigating pest threats, countries can protect crops, safeguard farmer livelihoods and prevent economic losses. CABI’s tools, like the Horizon Scanning and PRA tools, play a critical role in helping nations anticipate risks and take action. Through these efforts, pest preparedness promotes more resilient food systems and contributes to global food security, stronger trade and economic stability.

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