Drawing lessons from the FAO Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control
Publication charts a response for future invasive pests
A new publication has summarized lessons from the FAO Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control project that illustrate its value over the past four years, as well as ways to improve the response to future invasive plant pests and diseases.
The publication “Proceedings of the Global Symposium for Sustainable Fall Armyworm Management” is based on an event held in Beijing from 31 October to 2 November 2023 that marked the conclusion of the project. The symposium included national authorities, academia, researchers, scientists, extension professionals, and policymakers under the theme “Charting a global response to future invasive pests”. Some 35 speakers addressed over 200 participants from 45 countries.
FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol highlighted how work under the Global Action, which operated from 2019 to 2023, has helped in strengthening national and farmer capacities, and said the symposium “marks a transition point, from an emergency response to the insect pest to more sustainable management.”
“We must build on the lessons learned from this Global Action and ultimately share best practices to actively prevent, prepare for, and respond to future biological invasions,” said Bechdol in a video message to symposium, published in the proceedings.
“This Global Symposium provides a platform for global stakeholders to come together and learn from each other while then taking the next step to set up a roadmap for a global response for the sustainable management of invasive plant pests.”
That includes validation and scaling of microbial and botanical biopesticides in some demonstration countries, said Bechdol, noting the value of locally occurring natural enemies such as parasitic wasps. Furthermore, over 300 000 farmers, extension workers and researchers have been trained in applying techniques and approaches for pest management, such as the FAMEWs mobile application now being used in 63 countries.
The Global Action’s activities have yielded multiple lessons, including insights on strategic and policy responses to an invasive pest, technologies validated and adapted to manage FAW, and training techniques for adopting sustainable management practices, said Xia Jingyuan, Special Advisor to FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu and Executive Secretary of the Global Action-FAW Secretariat.
Key lessons for tackling future invasive pests include increased investment in development and scaling-up of innovative solutions such resistant crop varieties and biopesticides, training and policy and regulatory actions, said Mr Xia.
“It is crucial that we transition from an emphasis on plant protection to plant health management and in this way, we can continue to contribute to One Health,” said Mr Xia.
The proceedings publication includes a set of calls to action that emphasize prevention and preparedness for emerging and future biological invasions; the vital role of innovation and technology; integration of different approaches; partnerships; communications; and the importance of policy/enabling environments in responding to future invasive pests and diseases.
The calls to action also urge stronger 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, all while keeping smallholder farmers as the key partners in the process.