Kenya's Collaborative Efforts to Combat Fall Armyworm
Kenya is intensifying its efforts to manage the fall armyworm (FAW), a destructive pest that poses a significant threat to maize and over 80 other crops. This initiative is being carried out through a partnership with China and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). According to Nyabenyi Tipo, the FAO Kenya Representative ad interim, the pest has severely impacted smallholder farmers and jeopardizes national food security.
One of the main challenges identified is the lack of knowledge among farmers and their over-reliance on chemical pesticides. To tackle this issue, FAO launched a global initiative in 2019 aimed at helping countries manage FAW effectively. As part of this initiative, a South-South and Triangular Cooperation project between Kenya, China, and FAO is currently being implemented from 2023 to 2025. The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (Kalro) is also involved as a local research partner.
Three trial sites—Embu, Kitale in Trans Nzoia, and Mabanga in Bungoma—are being used to test biological control methods, improve early warning systems, and build farmer capacity. The project began by creating an early warning system to help farmers detect FAW in the field. Additionally, it promotes the use of natural enemies to control the pest, with knowledge shared through farmer field schools.
Tipo emphasized the importance of reducing pesticide use due to health risks and highlighted that biological methods offer safer and more sustainable solutions. She noted that without such partnerships, achieving food security or transforming agri-food systems would be challenging. FAW is a global issue, and this project allows access to international expertise, including support from Chinese experts.
Because maize is seasonal, FAW survives on other crops, making year-round control essential. However, the project’s integrated pest management system is showing promise in reducing FAW populations. Tipo expressed hope that more countries will unite to fully eradicate FAW in the future, while currently focusing on managing and containing it.
Dr Baogen Gu, FAO Senior Agriculture Officer in Pest and Pesticide Management, mentioned that the project is also being implemented in Ghana. It aims to scale up good agricultural practices and develop sustainable FAW monitoring and management systems. Through South-South Cooperation, advanced yet practical technologies are brought in, integrated with local practices, and trained farmers are taught to use them effectively.
China, after experiencing FAW invasion in 2019, developed several control methods, including biopesticides, resistant crop varieties, physical traps, and radar-based monitoring systems. These innovations are now being adapted to African contexts. Gu noted that since most farmers in China are smallholders, similar to those in Kenya and Ghana, these practices are easily transferable, offering high potential for mutual learning and benefit.
Barak Okoba, FAO Kenya’s Programme Manager for Resilient Livelihoods and Climate Change, stated that FAW is a regional problem and understanding its movement patterns is key. He mentioned that Kenya is supporting efforts to strengthen surveillance and early warning systems. Once accurate mapping and prediction of FAW infestations are achieved, better prevention of crop damage will be possible.
The trial sites in Embu, Bungoma, and Kitale are helping scientists and extension officers track how FAW moves between maize and other plants. Okoba pointed out that even at this early stage, farmers have been able to use simple, locally available materials for pest control instead of chemicals. This approach is cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
He emphasized the shift from chemical to biological control as crucial for protecting human health and the environment. Farmers, even those with just a quarter-acre, are encouraged to adopt sustainable practices that secure food for their families without expensive pesticides.
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