©FAO

FALL ARMYWORM AND AGROECOLOGY

AGP Technical Seminar & Webinar

FAO Headquarters - AUSTRIA ROOM- 11 December 2017 – 14h-15h

Or online at

http://fao.adobeconnect.com/rqszkwo9wg9b/

The fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda), an insect pest from the American continent, has become an invasive species in Africa since its first detection in early 2016 in Nigeria. Although the FAW’s preferred host is maize, the insect can feed on more than 80 different plant species, and cause significant yield losses in the absence of natural biological control or if not well managed. FAW ecological management practices, developed by farmers and researchers over decades in the Americas, can be helpful in Africa. Farmer Field Schools (FFS), a participatory learning methodology, will be used as a means to disseminate FAW control methods among farmers in Africa. Research conducted in Africa on maize stemborers, a pest of behavior similar to that of fall armyworm, suggests that landscape diversity may be an important factor, influencing the efficiency of pest control methods. This seminar will delve into the experiences gained in Africa on stemborer controls as well as the agro-ecological approaches that can be used in FAW management.

• What farming practices and ecological management methods developed in Latin America can be applicable in the African context? (Allan Hruska)
• What are Farmer Field Schools and how can they be used to enable farmers to innovate and sustainably manage FAW? (Anne Sophie Poisot)
• What agroecological management approaches in maize stemborer control in Africa can be used to complement the on-going work on FAW? (Caterina Batello & Yodit Kebede)