www.fao.org/food-chain-crisis/ how-we-work/plant-protection/fall-armyworm FAO has prepared this Programme for Action as a response to the threat posed by the Fall Armyworm in Africa. It has six components: 1. Management of FAW: Immediate Recommendations & Actions 2. Short-term Research Priorities 3. Communications and Training 4. Monitoring and Early Warning 5. Policy and Regulatory Support 6. Coordination

1. The Fall Armyworm
FAO’s Programme for Action

2. The Fall Armyworm
(Spodoptera frugiperda) is an
insect pest that can feed on
more than 80 crop species, but
prefers maize. It is native to the
Americas but has now spread
across Sub-Saharan Africa.
©MarlinE.Rice

4. The female moth of the Fall Armyworm can lay up to a total of 1 000 eggs in her lifetime
Eggs hatch in 2-3 days

5. Zimbabwe. Young larvae of the Fall Armyworm in a maize plant

6. South Africa. Maize field in Lipompo Province infested with the FAW

7. Detected and officially reported
Detected awaiting official reporting
Fall Armyworm
in Africa

8. FAW is a farmer’s problem

9. Benin. Understanding
farmers’ needs

10. Ethiopia. Agricultural extension agents inspecting farmers’ fields

11. Ghana. Farmers receive training on managing the Fall Armyworm

12. Nigeria. Sub-regional FAW training

13. FAO South-South Cooperation FAW Expert Meeting
Accra, July 18-21th 2017
Natural Enemies: Predators, Parasitoids, Pathogens

14. FAO hosted important Expert Meeting
Fall Armyworm Expert Meeting
Accra, Ghana 18-20 July 2017
A Synthesis report of the meeting prepared and is
online.

15. Fall Armyworm in Africa:
Key messages

16. • Don’t Panic – But do Act!
• Prevention is best
– Avoid late and staggered plantings
– Increase plant diversity (oviposition & natural enemies)
(milpa in Mesoamerica)
• Visit your fields at least once a week and observe
– Fresh damage from FAW (in whorl)
– Look for egg masses and crush them
– Look and observe natural control: pathogens, predators,
parasitoids (farmers’ friends)
Key messages for Farmers

17. Key messages for Farmers
• Damage may look bad, but may not reduce
yield dramatically
– give natural control a chance (synthetic chemical
pesticides kill many natural enemies (farmers’ friends)
– Maize plants have ability to withstand/compensate for
damage – short-term research
• Rain kills larvae
• Smallholder maize farmers in Mesoamericatry a
number of controltactics:local botanical mixtures
(neem, hot pepper, local plants), ash and soil, and
self-multiplication of pathogens.

18. Key Messages for Farmers - 3
• Some pesticidesavailable for FAW have very high
risk to human health
• Same pesticides available for FAW may not work
• There are bio-pesticides,including botanicals, virus
and bacteria-based
• Some of the bio-pesticidescan be produced locally
• Not fast kill, but stop feeding (damage)
• Pesticide use may not be economically viable
Key messages for Farmers

19. • Don’t Panic – But do Act!
• Farmers’ need to learn how to manage FAW – natural control
• Pesticides
– Avoid Highly Hazardous Pesticides
– Bio-pesticides: registration, accessibility, PRODUCTION
– Be careful of costs of pesticides among smallholders
• Need for mass communication/extension /participatory learning
• Need to invest in short-term validation of recommendations and
medium-term innovative solutions
• Local production of bio-pesticides and bio-control agents may provide
good rural youth employment and opportunities for entrepreneurs
Key messages for Decision-makers

20. Farmers field schools

21. Integrated management
of the Fall Armyworm on maize
A Training Guide for the Integrated Management
of the FAW on maize in Africa
for Farmers Field Schools
Farmers to learn about:
FAW identification, life cycle and behaviour; preventative
measures to reduce infestation and help plants withstand
damage to minimize yield loss; early scouting; mechanical
controls; use of botanical pesticides and biological control
agents; pesticide risk reduction; monitoring and surveillance,
and more

22. The cost of inaction
• The arrival of fall armyworm(FAW) in Africa has the
potential to cause maize yield losses in a range from
8.3 to 20.6 million tonnes per annum, in the absence
of any control methods, in just 12 maize-producing
countries
• This represents a range of 21%-53% of the annual
averaged production of maize over a three year period
in these countries
• The value of these losses is estimated between
$2,481m - $6,187m
Source: CABI

23. Framework for Partnership
Seven Components:
1. Management of FAW: Immediate Recommendations & Actions
2. Short-term Research Priorities
3. Medium to Long-term Research
4. Communications and Training
5. Monitoring and Early Warning
6. Policy and Regulatory Support
7. Coordination
Sustainable Management of Fall Armyworm in Africa

24. FAO Programme for Action
Sustainable Management of Fall Armyworm in Africa

25. FAO has prepared this Programme for Action in the
context of that Framework. This Programme presents
to development resource partners that part of the
Framework actions that FAO is prepared to administer
and implement focusing on its comparative
advantages.
Six components have been identified to be
implemented by FAO
Sustainable Management of Fall Armyworm in Africa:
FAO Programme for Action

26. Sustainable Management of Fall Armyworm in Africa:
FAO Programme for Action
1. Management of FAW:
Immediate Recommendations & Actions
2. Short-term Research Priorities
3. Communications and Training
4. Monitoring and Early Warning
5. Policy and Regulatory Support
6. Coordination

27. Sustainable Management of Fall Armyworm in Africa:
FAO Programme for Action
1. Management of FAW: Immediate
Recommendations& Actions
Objectives
• Provide farmers with knowledge and recommendation
for sustainable management of FAW
• Learn and share experiences and knowledge from
Americas
• Determine use of pheromone traps in FAW management
system
• Make pesticide use more effective and less hazardous

28. Sustainable Management of Fall Armyworm in Africa:
FAO Programme for Action
2. Short-term research and developmentpriorities
Objectives
• Create and coordinate an African Network of National
Research & Development for FAW
• Determine yield loss due to FAW and develop action
thresholds

29. Sustainable Management of Fall Armyworm in Africa:
FAO Programme for Action
3. Communication and training
Objectives
• Ensure consistent messages across public and countries
based on best knowledge and develop mass
communication campaigns
• At least 10.00 extensionists have the capacity to provide
training to farmers regarding sustainable FAW
management
• At least 10 million farmers have the knowledge and
information via 40.000 Farmer Field Schools to manage
FAW sustainably

30. Sustainable Management of Fall Armyworm in Africa:
FAO Programme for Action
4. Monitoring and early warning
Objectives
• Pheromone traps generating detailed and dependable
knowledge on host range and migration patterns of FAW
in the context of African agro-ecologies and cropping
systems, to develop and disseminate appropriate
management options
• Organize and conduct annual FAW research seminar and
knowledge and service fair
• Develop a harmonized monitoring system, consistent
data collection and analysis system and early warning
system

31. Sustainable Management of Fall Armyworm in Africa:
FAO Programme for Action
5. Policy and regulatory support
Objectives
• Develop risk transfer mechanisms and instruments
accessible by smallholder farmers for FAW
management
• Create appropriate policy framework for pesticide use
for FAW

32. Sustainable Management of Fall Armyworm in Africa:
FAO Programme for Action
6. Coordination
Objectives
• Create and maintain fluid and coherent coordination
among actors and levels
• Provide adequate monitoring and impact assessment
of programme

34. Immediate needs
• Best practices & key concepts for farmers
• No use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides
• Promotion of alternatives (especially bio-
pesticides, produced locally)
• Mass communication campaigns,
extension
• Farmer Field Schools

36. For more information:
www.fao.org/food-chain-crisis/
how-we-work/plant-protection/fall-armyworm/