Managing fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): Experience from smallholder farmers in central and western Africa

In this study, 420 farmers were surveyed in central and west Africa using individual interviews to assess farmers' knowledges and perceptions of the fall armyworm damages and the management practices used. Most farmers (99.4%) were shown to recognize the fall armyworm and 92.5% claimed to already have damages in their fields. The fall armyworm seems not to be a new pest as most farmers identified it in different countries from 2015 to 2019. Apart from maize as the preferred crop ofS.  frugiperda, several alternative host plants including Napier grass, sorghum, onion, and cabbage were identified by the farmers. Although cultural and mechanical control methods are used by several farmers, the synthetic pesticide market is still preferred by almost half of the farmers (44.28%) who still use them. To control fall armyworm, 96.4% in Burkina Faso, 85.3% in Gabon, 65.2% in Benin and 25% in DR Congo reported using insecticides, against 5.9% in Senegal. Semiochemical-based method and biological control by promoting natural enemies of the fall armyworm are new concepts for farmers in DR Congo, Gabon and Benin. To avoid additional problems regarding health and resilience of agricultural systems, alternative methods such as push –pull approach, the development of biopesticides and resistant cultivars should form the basis of training given to farmers and should be popularized for sustainable control of the fall armyworm in central and west Africa.
Source: Food and Energy Security - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research