Bungoma:Kenya’s maize farmers are grappling with an escalating crisis as fall armyworm has infested over 40% of the nation’s maize-growing regions. This pest invasion is causing significant damage, with harvest losses estimated at 30%, severely impacting households reliant on maize and the country’s broader food production efforts.
According to Kenya News Agency, the severity of the threat was highlighted during the conclusion of a three-year FAO-China South-South Cooperation programme in Bungoma. This initiative aimed to equip farmers with sustainable strategies to combat the pest. The fall armyworm, originally recorded in the Americas, has now spread to over 80 countries across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and Europe, posing a major threat to maize crops.
FAO’s fall armyworm expert, George Ong’amo, emphasized to farmers and officials at the Mabanga Agricultural Training Centre that the pest remains one of the most significant threats to maize in Kenya. He noted that despite efforts to educate and train farmers on pest management, the infestation continues to spread, with many farmers struggling to identify and control the pest effectively.
The program, which reached over 20,000 farmers, focused on integrated pest management techniques that reduce reliance on chemical pesticides. It involved setting up 25 farmer field schools, each comprising approximately 30 members, to disseminate knowledge on environmentally friendly and economically viable pest control methods.
FAO’s agricultural and technical officer, Maged Elkahky, explained that Kenya and Ghana were selected for this project to test the effectiveness of pest management technologies across different agro-ecological zones. Representatives from nine African countries participated in the project close-out in Bungoma to learn and share these new approaches with farmers in their own countries.
Dr. Magrina Mayama, Bungoma County Chief Officer for Agriculture and Irrigation, highlighted the project’s success in improving farmers’ ability to differentiate between fall armyworm and other maize pests, such as the maize stalk borer. The county government plans to continue encouraging farmers to apply the knowledge gained and adopt sustainable practices to protect maize production.
