How to control fall armyworms

According to literature provided by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) already, the impact of the fall armyworm is being felt across Africa.

Crop loss

Estimates from 12 African countries including Uganda indicate that the pest is causing annual maize losses of between 8 – 21 million tonnes, leading to monetary losses of up to $6.1 billion, while affecting over 300 million people in Africa, who, directly or indirectly, depend on the crops for food and well-being. This new menace piles onto a range of existing challenges afflicting Africa. For instance, many regions of the continent are already experiencing the impacts of climate-change, including drier and hotter weather, stressed out soils, various invasive pests such as and increased outbreaks of existing pests such as stem borers and the parasitic striga weed, leading to enhanced threats to agriculture and health.

The project

As such scientists from ICIPE in collaboration with agricultural research institutes in three countries namely Uganda, Malawi and Zambia came up with a project dealing directly with small scale farmers who major in growing maize rowing to help solve the challenge of fall army worms on their farms.

The three year project namely Agro ecological Innovations for smallholder Pest Management (EcoPM) which started last year is funded by the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ). It aims to embrace gender inclusiveness where the training focuses on involving more women who are more placed in the farming system.

The basis of the project

Mr Robert Ochaya the national coordinator of the project from GIZ explained that the fall army worm has been a challenge in farmer fields across the country. The project attaches importance to gender due to the role women play in the agriculture sector in the entire country.

The key implementer of the project are scientists from the National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NaRL) Kawanda who have been on ground with the farmers since last year.

Biological control

Naro scientists have developed biological control technologies to fight the fall army worm which farmers have not been adopting instead they were using chemicals to spray which is not healthy.

It is the reason Mr Ochaya and team found it fitting for scientists to sensitise farmers growing maize to adopt the technologies which include the Push-Pull technology, use of pheromone traps and use of bio pesticides.

Implementation

Dr Alex Mayamba from NaRL in charge of implementing the project said the focus of the project is in northern and eastern Uganda because it is where farmers are facing the challenge of fall army worm including striga weed infestation.

His team through the local government in the identified districts reached out to farmer groups and associations where they set up participatory demonstration gardens to sensitise the farmers on as to how the technologies work.

The Push-Pull technology

This involves intercropping cereals in this case the maize with a repellent plant, such as desmodium, which repels or deters the fall armyworm from the target crop.

An attractant trap plant, for instance Napier grass or bracharia is planted around the border of the maize filed with the purpose of attracting and trapping the pests.

Pheromone traps

Pheromones are natural compounds made out fungi that are emitted by female Fall Armyworm moths to attract male moths for mating.

Synthetic compounds that mimic natural fall armyworm pheromones often referred to as lures are placed in traps to attract and trap male moths. 

This helps reduce the number of fall army worm multiplication because the male ones will not be there to mate with female ones.

Bio pesticides

These are pests to be specific wasps that consume the eggs and larvae of fall army worms.

Dr Mayamba and team have multiplied these insects at NaRL which they took to selected districts and released them in the wild to feed on the fall army worm. 

Farmer experience

Scovia Acan is a farmer growing Maize on her two-acre land in Oyam District.

She belongs to Oyam District Farmers Association, and they are over 2,000 members with each group comprising of 25-30 members.

She contends that adopting these technologies have helped her a great deal because the fall army worm has been a menace on her farm.

Previously she would harvest about five bags of maize from her two acre farm but now she is able to get between 10 and 15 bags.

Since she joined the group to get a glimpse of the technologies, she picked it up and has become a trainer sensitising other farmers about its adoption.

Despite previously using chemicals to fight the fall armyworm, it had challenges of the rains washing it away meaning the worms will remain in their farms to consume the crop.

Ms Agnes Auma is the agricultural officer Palisa District and her team has reached out to most farmers growing maize in the district.

To her the technology has worked so well because most farmers in Palisa practice mixed farming keeping animals and growing crops.

Therefore planting bracharia and desmodium grass helps in controlling the pest but at the same time farmers are using the grass to feed their animals

Desmodium is also a nitrogen fixing plant meaning it controls striga weed and at the same improves on the soil nutrient.