CABI announces major commitments in fight against invasive species
Coinciding with its regional consultation with member states in Africa, CABI hosted a policy summit on invasive species in Gaborone, Botswana on 28 February. About 70 delegates representing policymakers, research, the private sector and civil society from across Africa gathered to learn about and discuss the impact of invasives as well as the technical and…
Progress made on fall armyworm, but greater effort needed
A major new report published by CABI has today revealed that losses due to fall armyworm are lower than projected in 2017 and the pest is still primarily focussed on maize rather than any other potential host crops. Better monitoring, swift responses by governments and farmers and an increase of natural enemies attacking the pest…
The Value of Testing
Reblogged from the Nesta blog. The crop damage caused by fall armyworm has put millions of livelihoods at stake across Sub-Saharan Africa. Its rapid spread has been projected to cause losses valuing $2.5 billion to $6.2 billion per year if left unabated.[1] Fall armyworm has caused havoc for smallholder farmers across the region and become a…
Twenty Innovators Selected to Tackle Fall Armyworm in Africa with Digital Solutions
By Lauren Bieniek. Reblogged from Agrilinks. It’s hard to believe that a small worm could destroy millions — millions of tons of crop yields, millions of dollars in farm income and millions of tons of food for families. I’m talking about the Fall Armyworm (FAW), an invasive pest that has spread quickly across the African continent. Originally from the…
March of the Armyworm
By Stephanie Parker. Reblogged from Earth Island Journal. Mohamud Abdu stands tall in his maize field in Alaba, Ethiopia, a small agricultural district over 200 kilometers south of the country’s capital, Addis Ababa. Smooth green leaves reach up to his waist. The field is off a dirt road where children ride old bicycles and the occasional…
Minimising further insect pests invasions in Africa
By Esther Ngumbi. Reblogged from SciDev.Net. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) recently offered prize money for the best and digital tools that can be used to help combat the fall armyworm (FAW), an invasive pest that has spread across Africa. The winners will be announced in the coming months.
The threat of invasive species to biodiversity: Biological control of Himalayan balsam
By Alan Gange. Reblogged from Open Access Government. Alan Gange, Amanda Currie & Nadia Ab Razak (Royal Holloway, University of London), Carol Ellison, Norbert Maczey & Suzy Wood (CABI ) and Robert Jackson & Mojgan Rabiey (University of Reading) discuss the threat of invasive species to biodiversity, including the biological control of Himalayan balsam Invasive species…
New challenge prize aims to tackle fall armyworm in Africa
A new challenge prize to help find the latest technology to combat the devastating impacts of the fall armyworm, which attacks over 80 different plant species, has today launched. CABI will form part of the judging panel for the Fall Armyworm Tech Prize – which is being spearheaded by Feed the Future with financial support from Land O’Lakes International Development and…