Drones, insects and local community to tackle Kenya’s thorny problem
In Laikipia, 253 kilometres north of Nairobi, Kenya, an unlikely trio of drones, the local community, and a tiny sap-sucking insect, have joined forces to take on a thorny problem – the spread of invasive prickly pear cactus Opuntia engelmannii.
CABI highlights benefits of Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) support tools to fight invasive species in Caribbean
CABI’s experts in the field of invasive species management have highlighted the benefits of the CABI Horizon Scanning (HS) Tool and CABI Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) Tool to help fight a range of invasive species in the Caribbean.
Remote sensing of highly invasive Parthenium weed in Pakistan
Parthenium is a highly invasive plant species. It threatens agricultural productivity, biodiversity, and human and animal health wherever it takes root. In Pakistan, it’s called famine weed because of its devastating impact on crop yields and livelihoods.
Development communication campaign promotes sustainable management of fall armyworm in Kenya
CABI and the Cereal Growers Association (CGA) have been sharing information with farmers in Kenya on how to effectively and safely manage the continuing threat of the invasive fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). This was achieved thanks to a development communication campaign that combined video sharing through a network of lead farmers and social media.
Using online workshops to ensure the fight against invasive species continues in Pakistan
As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues, CABI is ensuring that efforts to combat invasive species are continuing. The CABI centre in Pakistan organized a one-day online workshop on the development of Pest Management Decision Guides (PMDGs) and Technical Briefs on the invasive pests: fall armyworm, parthenium weed, and Tuta absoluta.
The future of fall armyworm research
As COVID-19 forces more and more people indoors, the challenges facing scientific research do not diminish. If anything, the sudden requirement to maintain a sensible distance between colleagues serves only to highlight the lack of resources currently available to facilitate remote working and collaboration in research circles.
Enabling access to FAIR and open agricultural data: CABI’s Action on Invasives takes the lead
For many centuries, data has been used in agriculture to help farmers, researchers and policymakers make more informed decisions. For instance, farmers use weather and soil data to decide how and when to fertilise, plant or harvest; and policymakers use data about the impact of pest and disease management interventions during evidence-based decision making.
Open Access tools for Open Science
Each year on November 10th, World Science Day for Peace and Development celebrates the significance of science in daily life and the importance of involving the public in scientific developments and debates. This year, the theme for World Science Day for Peace and Development is “Open science, leaving no one behind”. The concept of “Open…
New Pest Risk Analysis Tool to improve biosecurity in international trade of plant commodities
CABI has launched a new product to help facilitate and improve the biosecurity of plants and plant products being traded around the world that are at risk of invasive pests such as the Colorado beetle – a major threat to potato crops.
UAV spraying: combating the spread of fall armyworm across China
Fall armyworm (FAW) has continued to spread across China since early January, with the pest being identified in over 600,000 hectares of farmland across 18 provinces. Now, the government and farmers are looking for solutions to tackling this invasive species. Fall armyworm in an incredibly destructive pest species native to the tropics and sub-tropics of…