Fall armyworm (FAW), or Spodoptera frugiperda, is a plant pest originating in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Over the last few years, FAW has rapidly spread around Africa, Asia and and, most recently, Oceania. Concerted action is essential to prevent this pest from threatening the food security and livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers. FAO’s new initiative, the Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control, aims to mobilize USD 500 million over three years, from 2020 to 2022, for radical, direct and coordinated measures to strengthen monitoring and pest control capacities at global level.

FAO developed its Global Action to improve food security and the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers, and reduce environmental pollution through sustainable management and control of FAW. To achieve this, the Global Action will ensure a strong, coordinated approach at country, regional and global levels to massively scale up current worldwide efforts against FAW through multiple mechanisms, such as Farmer Field Schools, partnerships with research institutions and the private sector, South–South Cooperation, regional and national plant protection organizations, and specific national FAW task forces.

The Global Action has three key objectives: 

1. enhance global, regional, national and farmer-level coordination and collaboration on FAW control, leading to implementation of ecosystem-friendly Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices and policies; 2. reduce crop yield losses caused by FAW; and 3. reduce the risk of further spread of FAW to new areas.