Responding to Fall Armyworm in Africa (e-conference)

SDSN’s Thematic Network on Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems is organizing a carbon-free e-conference on responding to the fall armyworm (FAW) outbreak in Africa. Two years after FAW arrived in Africa, we would like to take stock of what we have learned so far and where we are going next. The event will explore questions such as: What are effective strategies in reaching farmers across the continent? How effective have responses to FAW been? What are the long-term consequences of these responses? What innovative ideas might work better in the short- and long-term?

Participants in this e-conference are invited to join five sessions on various aspects of responding to the FAW outbreak in Africa. Each session will last about 90 minutes and will take place around 1 pm GMT, catching the Americas in the morning, Africa and Europe in the afternoon, and Asia in the evening. An online platform will be available 24/7 for participants to meet, share work, and continue the discussion. The conference will result in a shared action agenda that everyone can contribute to. This action agenda will guide responses to the FAW outbreak in the year to come.

The full programme can be viewed here

Confirmed speakers:

Peter Chinwada, IITA
Frederic Baudron, CIMMYT
Keith Cressman, FAO
Paul Jepson, Oregon State University
Step Aston, One Acre Fund
Joseph Huesing, USAID
Allan Hruska, FAO
Ivan Rwomushana, CABI
Prasanna Boddupalli, CIMMYT
Isaac Oyediran, Syngenta
Charles Midega, Icipe
Kenneth Wilson, Lancaster University and Armyworm Network
Cyhana Williams, Henson Geodata Technologies
Finalists of the Nesta Fall Armyworm Tech Prize
Ken Giller, Wageningen University and SDSN
Linda Veldhuizen, Wageningen University and SDSN

Program in brief (daily from 13:00-14:30 GMT):

22 October: Fall Armyworm (FAW) identification and infestation
23 October: FAW monitoring and initial responses
24 October: Recommended responses to FAW
25 October: Breeding, Bt and push-pull options
26 October: FAW innovations

Resources:

• USAID and CIMMYT, 2018. Fall Armyworm in Africa: A guide for integrated pest management
• FAO, 2018. Integrated management of the Fall Armyworm on maize: A guide for farmer field schools in Africa
• UKaid and CABI, 2017. Fall Armyworm: Impacts and Implications for Africa. Evidence Note
• Midega, CAO, Pittchar, JO, Pickett, JA, Hailu, GW and Khana, ZR, 2018. A climate-adapted push-pull system effectively controls fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J E Smith), in maize in East Africa. Crop Protection 105, pp. 10-15
• Lancaster University Armyworm Network
• CABI resources on Fall Armyworm
• FAO resources on Fall Armyworm
• USAID Fall Armyworm Tech Prize finalists