30 October 2024, Africa: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has published a report outlining 16 calls to action to tackle fall armyworm following a global symposium on the major crop pest in which CABI shared its expertise.
Entitled “FAO Global Symposium on Sustainable Fall Armyworm Management: Charting a global response to future invasive pests,” the document stems from the Global Symposium on Sustainable Fall Armyworm Management (GS-FAW) held in Beijing, China, from 31 October to 2 November 2023.
CABI scientists Dr Roger Day, Dr Ivan Rwomushana, Dr Hongmei Li and Frances Williams, all contributed to the event hosted by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), and the National Agro-Teach Extension and Service Centre (NATESC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA).
The GS-FAW, whose theme was “Charting a global response to future invasive pests,” marked the end of FAO’s Global Action (GA) on Fall Armyworm Control and attracted more than 40 speakers and 200 participants worldwide.
The aim of the symposium was to facilitate worldwide dissemination of results and lessons learnt to improve the global response against the fall armyworm and other invasive plant pests and diseases.
Among the 16 calls to action highlighted in the new FAO report, CABI is mentioned as a ‘coordination hub’ to help “improve the regional and global cross-pollination of ideas by weaving research networks to rigorously assess the host plant-pest relationships, natural enemy communities, and socioeconomic impacts of invasive pests, leveraging regional and global centres of excellence.”
Others mentioned in the same include the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) and regional universities.
Other calls for action include the requirement to “prioritize the needs and harness the entrepreneurial and innovative potential of youth and women in the overall process of detecting, monitoring, and managing emerging and future invasive pests.”
Another call of action outlines the need to “strengthen critical capacities to develop and adopt innovation in surveillance, diagnostics, monitoring, early warning, and management of invasive pests, as well as innovation in institutional settings, policy, and regulatory instruments.”
At the GS-FAW, Ms Williams, CABI’s Director of Social Services, gave a keynote address with key findings and recommendations on the ‘Impact assessment of the Global Action on Fall Armyworm Control’ in a session moderated by Dr Robert Bertram, Chief Scientist at USAID.
Dr Rwomushana, CABI’s Global Lead – Pest Preparedness, then presented on ‘FAW IPM in Eastern and Southern Africa: CABI’s research approaches’ as part of a session – entitled ‘IPM for FAW in its native and invasion range.’
Dr Li, Senior Coordinator Research at CABI, spoke about ‘Innovative technologies for farm advisory with some examples in FAW management’ in a session – chaired by Ms Alia Diyana of Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PANAP) and Mr Wang Fuxiang from National Agro-Tech Extension and Service Center (NATESC), China – entitled ‘Farmers and extension.’
Finally, Dr Day, CABI’s Global Advisor, Plant Health, gave a presentation – during a session on ‘Enabling Environment’ which was co-chaired by Ms Williams – on ‘FAW: Lessons for managing future invasive pests.’
CABI’s work on fall armyworm includes complementary extension approaches, such as Farmer Field Schools and plant clinics, which provide information on bioprotection solutions to tackle crop pests, such as the fall armyworm, as part of Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
Previously, CABI worked with the FAO on a field handbook for the identification and management of fall armyworm and, also with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), on a Training of Trainers Manual for the monitoring, early warning and management of fall armyworm.
CABI is also working with the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI) and the University of Zambia (UNZA) on a project, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), to advocate village-based biological control of the pest.
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