Page 12 - Vol.37-No.1 issue

CROP PROTECTION

FAO MOVES TO SCALE UP RESPONSE TO FALL

ARMYWORM AS PEST CONTINUES TO SPREAD

The Food and Agriculture Organization vaded Africa in 2016 and has spread to ogy for FAW surveillance, monitoring,
of the United Nations (FAO) is increasing over 70 countries in Africa, Asia, and the and management in the field.
efforts aimed at bolstering the global re- Near East in only four years. According
sponse to Fall Armyworm (FAW), consid- to FAO’s estimates, the pest is putting
ered one of the top 10 devastating plant at risk up to 80 million tonnes of maize
pests affecting food and agriculture. worth $18 billion per year in Africa, Asia,
FAO Director-General, Qu Dongyu, and the Near East.
noted that great strides had been made FAO recognizes that farmers need sig-
by the Global Action for Fall Armyworm nificant support to fight the pest and pro-
Control (GA), a coordination mechanism tect crops through Integrated Pest Man-
established by him a year ago, but em- agement (IPM).
phasized that many challenges remain Qu indicated that eight demonstra-
to be tackled in the sustainable manage- tion countries and 53 pilot countries had
ment of this pest. been identified for the implementation
Speaking at a virtual meeting of the of control strategies at the national and The steering committee, chaired by
local level. The eight countries are Burki- the Director-General, oversees the
na Faso, Cameroon, China, Egypt, India, Global Action, with support from a tech-
Kenya, Malawi, and the Philippines. nical committee, chaired by USAID Chief
National task forces for the eight coun- Scientist, Robert Bertram.
tries for Fall Armyworm control are be- Bertram informed the meeting that the
ing strengthened and technical support impact of FAW had been devastating for
is being provided for each of them. many farmers and it was important to op-
timize available technology to support
While noting that funding pledges plant health and combat increasing pest
of $7.9 million had come from China, prevalence.
France, Norway, and the European Union
between July and December 2020, Qu The technical committee has been
Global Action’s third steering commit- working on the general guidelines for
tee, the Director-General noted FAW’s said more financial resources need to be developing and implementing regional
reach was expanding, noting that it had mobilized, as FAO had done in the fight IPM strategies, distilling a large body of
been reported in four new countries in against Desert Locusts. knowledge on various IPM interventions
Asia and the Near East. He stressed there was also a need to against FAW. These guidelines are to be
FAW is a voracious trans boundary improve country-level coordination to offered for the demonstration countries
insect that targets maize and other food respond to FAW invasions, information to further tailor their own IPM strategies
crops. Originating in the Americas, it in- sharing, and the use of the latest technol- to fight the pest.

Circle 12 on enquiry card
FAO LAUNCHES THE UN’S INTERNATIONAL

YEAR OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 2021

Proclaimed at the 74th session the UN “In the current health crisis we are fac- ing small-scale farmers. He emphasized
General Assembly, IYFV 2021 is ded- ing around the world, promoting healthy fruits and vegetables were a good way
icated to raising awareness about the diets to strengthen our immune systems for farmers to create cash crops.
important role of fruits and vegetables is especially appropriate,” Qu said. In his message UN Secretary-General,
in human nutrition, food security, and António Guterres called for a more “ho-
health. listic approach” to nutrition and sustain-
FAO, the lead agency for celebrating ability noting next year’s Food Systems
the year in collaboration with other or- Summit would also be an opportunity to
ganizations, launched the year with an consider the fragility of food systems.
international virtual event. Chile played the lead role in the proc-
Speaking at the event the FAO Direc- lamation of IYFV and the country’s Minis-
tor-General described the initiative as ter for Agriculture, Antonio Walker, told
“a unique opportunity to raise global the event there were many challenges in
awareness”. He noted that the COVID-19 While noting the challenges in improv- promoting healthy eating habits while
pandemic had challenged people to find ing production and agri-food chains, calling for co-ordinated action to curb
new ways of fighting hunger and malnu- the FAO Director-General encouraged malnutrition.
trition and said IYFV would highlight the countries to see the International Year Teresa Bellanova, Italy’s Minister of
role of digital technologies in improving as an opportunity to improve infrastruc- Agricultural, Food, and Forestry Policies
nutrition and market opportunities. ture, farming practices thereby support- said her country was ready to share its

10 Vol. 37 No. 1