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Fall Armyworm threatens food security and livelihoods across Africa

Year of publication 2018

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 2

Author FCC

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Fall Armyworm is a transboundary insect pest that feeds on more than 80 crop plants, particularly maize when available, and it is able to move 100 km per night. It can cause significant yield losses if not well managed and has a high potential to affect food security.To support farmers and countries in responding to the FAW threat, FAO has taken a lead role in providing technical expertise, policy advice, training, coordination, and communication on FAW management.

Language English

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    Since its appearance in 2016, fall armyworm has spread to many countries and remains one of the main threats to agriculture and food security in Africa. Among the countries affected by fall armyworm in West Africa and the Sahel, Burkina Faso was selected for this assessment based on the production level of maize, level of fall armyworm infestation and associated recorded or estimated crop losses, presence of other shocks and level of food insecurity. In addition, the Cadre Harmonisé analysis indicated that 12 percent of the population was in Phase 3+ over the second half of 2022, the highest in West Africa. This impact assessment follows a methodology developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' (FAO's) Data in Emergencies Information System (DIEM), articulated in three steps: a household survey, a scouting exercise to measure the level of fall armyworm infestation, and a crop cutting experiment conducted at harvest time to determine the yields. The objective was to assess the impact of fall armyworm on maize production, and the livelihoods and food security of maize farmers in Burkina Faso. FAO established DIEM-Impact to provide a granular and rapid understanding of the impact of large-scale hazards on agriculture and agricultural livelihoods using a variety of assessment methodologies, including primary and secondary information, remote sensing technologies, and FAO’s damage and loss methodology. DIEM-Impact presents a regularly updated and accessible assessment of the state of food insecurity in fragile environments and helps underpin FAO's programming based on evidence.
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