The Zimbabwean government says fall armyworm has destroyed nearly 150 000 hectares of the maize in all 10 provinces of the country. According to the preliminary findings of an impact survey done by the Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (Agritex), the current fall armyworm (FAW) outbreak poses a threat to…
According to press release from national agricultural organisation Agri SA, experts are predicting widespread infestation by fall armyworm across South Africa (SA), with the possible exclusion of the Western Cape. Fall armyworm has infested South African farms, particularly in 5 districts in Limpopo Province, as well as parts of Mpumalanga and the…
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has developed a mobile phone application for use by smallholder farmers and agricultural extension officers to collect data to monitor and quantify the impact of fall armyworm (FAW) outbreaks. The FAO says the Fall Armyworm Monitoring and Early Warning Syste (FAMEWS) app…
The Namibian government says crop farmers should brace for another outbreak of fall armyworm (FAW) following widespread rains experienced over the country last week. The first-ever FAW outbreak in Namibia was recorded in 2016. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry Percy Misika told New Era newspaper…
Malawi has banned maize exports in an effort to fortify its food reserves in light of a damaging drought. Exacerbating the situation is an outbreak of fall armyworm. This, as its neighbour Zambia recorded an increase in maize prices due to scanty supply. The ban in Malawi comes barely 3…
Maize farmers in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province have been advised to be on the lookout for fall armyworm. The Eastern Cape was the last province to be infested by fall armyworm in 2017, and it is estimated that 355 hectares were affected. “So far the prevailing environmental conditions in…
The Zambian Ministry of Agriculture says it needs K30 million to combat fall armyworms that have invaded 70 000 hectares of fields. The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Julius Shawa, says they requested additional funding from the national treasury. Government had budgeted for K15 million to tackle armyworm infestations during the 2017/’18 farming…
Fall armyworms have infested more than 55 000 hectares crops in Zambia. Zambian Agriculture Minister Dora Siliya said almost all of the country’s 10 provinces are affected with Lusaka, Luapula and Eastern hit hardest. “The armyworms are here to stay, and I would like to remind farmers to procure pesticides using…
Malawian President Peter Mutharika has declared a state of disaster in all areas affected by the fall armyworm (FAW), which broke out several weeks ago in the Southern Province. The pesticide-resistant worm has since spread to 20 out of 28 districts in the face of incapacitated agricultural extension services, which…
Governments and non-governmental organisations in Africa have been challenged to concentrate on funding programmes that form partnerships to build local institutional capacity and farmer resilience against the fall armyworm (FAW), since it is “here to stay”. The call was made by stakeholders at a joint expert and multi-stakeholder meeting convened…
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called for the urgent adoption of new measures to tackle 3 emergent, fast-spreading cross-border pests and diseases that pose threats to global food security. In a statement issued after the World Organisation for Animal Health meeting that was held in Rome…
Zimbabwean agricultural extension officers have confirmed the outbreak of a pesticide resistant strain of the fall armyworm (FAW), which has ravaged the early-planted maize crop at one of the biggest irrigation schemes in the Eastern Highlands of the country. Allen Dube of the Musikavanhu Irrigation Scheme in Chipinge said the…
The Malawian Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed reports of a fast-spreading outbreak of fall armyworm (FAW) in the Balaka District south of the country. District Agriculture Development Office (DADO) head for Balaka Denis Zingeni told the Malawi News Agency (MANA) that his office is trying to control the multiplication and…
A companion planting system for maize originally developed to keep stem borers and striga at bay, has also proved to be successful against the fall armyworm. Scientists from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe) in Kenya have found that existing push-pull companion planting technology could help smallholder…
Zambian Minister of Agriculture Dora Siliya has called on scientists to intensify research on fighting fall armyworm, saying an outbreak of the crop-eating pests is inevitable. “It is almost certain that we will have armyworms this farming season, and it is important for scientists and agro technocrats to help guide…
Many farmers are worried after rain lashed parts of Zambia, but the Zambia Meteorological Department (ZMD) has advised farmers not to rush into planting. ZMD said the rain experienced in parts of the country over the weekend and early this week will subside over the next few days. “The rains…
As temperatures increase, fall armyworm has also been spotted in maize fields in the northern parts of Namibia, near Ruacana. According to Albertus Viljoen, manager of the government farm Etunda, the worms already occur in large numbers on young maize on the farm. The worm was first spotted on the…
It is unnecessary to spray as preventative measure against fall armyworm, says Dr Johnnie van der Berg, entomologist from the North-West University. He warned members of the KwaZulu-Natal No-till Club at the annual conservation farming conference to constantly be on the lookout for the plague. However, they should not be…
Enabling quick and coordinated responses are essential in staying ahead of the fall armyworm, otherwise it could cost Africa dearly, said Dr Joseph DeVries, Vice President of Program Development and Innovation at the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Research done by the UK’s Department for International Development at…
Government will spend K2million to implement proactive measures to fight fall armyworm in the next farming season, says Zambian Agriculture Minister Dora Siliya. Experts predict the fall armyworm outbreak that first emerged in southern Africa during the last farming season, will continue to wreak havoc in the new season. “This…
A new online portal provides the necessary information for southern African farmers, researchers and governments to arm themselves against the threatening maize disease, maize lethal necrosis (MLN). Scientists have named the MLN disease as one of the most threatening diseases to one of southern Africa’s most important food sources, namely…
Except for fall armyworm which has already wreaked havoc in southern Africa this year, two more migrating pests and plagues are moving south. It is only a matter of time before others reach Africa. Dr Marinda Visser, Grain SA Manager of Research and Grain Policy, at an Agbiz Grain mini…
A coordinated strategy to decrease the damage caused by fall armyworm in southern Africa, before the next season starts, was developed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). David Phiri, FAO coordinator in southern Africa, said the strategy includes observations and reporting of the pest, recordings of the…
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) have warned that timely and effective support to the agricultural sector in eastern Africa is urgently required, due to prolonged drought conditions in the area. In a special alert on the Global Information and Early warning system on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS),…
