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| Pilot roll-out of biopesticide, Fawligen, in South Sudan. Partnership project between CABI and AgBiTech, CIMMYT, FAO, USAID and the South Sudan Ministry of Agriculture. Photo Credit: CABI |
CABI has briefed the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on a successful project to
deploy a safe-to-use and environmentally friendly biopesticide in the fight
against the fall armyworm (FAW)
pest in South Sudan.
Dr Ivan Rwomushana, senior
scientist of Invasive Species Management based at CABI’s centre in Nairobi, Kenya, told the FAO
and more than 150 scientists how 500 smallholder farmers have already seen 63%
yield increases — worth $609/ha — from using Fawligen, a product
called based on a baculovirus.
The technical webinar, entitled
‘Pesticide and Biopesticide in Fall armyworm Control: Protecting Health of
Plants, People and the Planet,’ heard how smallholder farmers — instead of
deploying synthetic pesticides that can pose serious risks to human health as
well as natural enemies and pollinators — were encouraged to use more
biopesticides as part of their Integrated Crop Management (IPM) plans.
The project — a collaboration
between CIMMYT, USAID, the FAO, and AgBiTech, run
in partnership with the South Sudan Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
(MAFS) and the Star Trust Organization (STO)
— is seeking more funding to extend the benefit to an extra 600
smallholders who are keen to protect their crops from FAW, which can
reduce losses of between 20-55%, as well as their general livelihoods
and local, regional, and national food security.
Drawing from experience gained from
testing Fawligen in Kenya, Dr. Rwomushana told the webinar how CABI designed
the protocol for the demonstration of the product and built upon its experience
in community action programs to run the pilot in South Sudan. He also advised
that CABI provided local technical training and support to the farmers as part
of the first pilot study.
In the first phase of the project, the
farmers, in the Yambio, Bor and Juba regions, were clustered into 10-20 groups
of 50 farmers. Each cluster identified a lead farmer who was trained to support
other farmers and use his, or her, own farm as a learning / demo site where
they could follow a standard protocol and use available tools.
Extension worker in Yambio showing the FAW larvae on maize
Crop yield data collected at the end of
the growing season from three of the four sites, representing a total of 315
feddans in Bor, Juba, and Yambio, demonstrated that the application of Fawligen
resulted in a 63% yield gain on average, or 0.81t/ha, when compared to
untreated maize fields. This was equivalent to $609/ha, which was estimated to
cover the $72/ha cost for six sprays of Fawligen.
Dr. Rwomushana said, “Pesticides are
currently the main method for managing FAW in Africa. Their extensive use is
attributed to ease of access and the widespread belief that they provide better
control than other management methods. However, given the high number of sprays
and highly hazardous products being deployed (some banned
internationally), they can pose serious risks including both acute and chronic
human health burdens, effects on natural enemies, and pollinators.
“Biopesticides can, however, be a
highly effective alternative to FAW management as they are generally more
specific than most pesticides and do not pose the same health risk to spray
operators and the environment. When used in conjunction with good crop
management, they can help to keep FAW levels under control, reducing the need
to apply other pesticides.”
Dr. Rwomushana revealed that a survey
carried out at the end of the first pilot with farmers showed that 63.2% felt
the Fawligen treatment had been very successful, and 95% were willing to pay
for Fawligen if it was available at an agrodealer near to them (at a price
comparable to a synthetic insecticide).
Healthy maize cobs at the end of the pilot
Dr. Rwomushana added, “While
biopesticides are increasingly used against FAW outside the continent, very few
products are registered for use in Africa. Therefore, if suitable products were
available, they would offer safer alternatives to chemicals.
“It is hoped that if a second phase of
the project is funded, CABI and partners could apply the lessons learned during
the first phase and expand the biopesticide reach to additional farmers, and to
further refine an integrated package of technologies to manage FAW as well as
other maize crop pests.”
CABI seeks to work with partners to
have such lower-risk products also registered in South Sudan, under the
framework of the East African Community (EAC) harmonized guidelines for the
registration of biopesticides and bio control agents for plant protection, that
were adopted in September 2019. CABI was also involved in the harmonization
process for the formulation of these guidelines.
Additional information
Main photo: Pilot roll-out of
biopesticide, Fawligen, in South Sudan. Partnership project between CABI and
AgBiTech, CIMMYT, FAO, USAID and the South Sudan Ministry of Agriculture
(Credit: CABI).
Find out more about CABI’s work in partnership to pilot biopesticides to manage fall
armyworm in South Sudan from the project page.
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