By HAPPY MULOLANI
THE
agriculture sector contributes about eight to ten percent to the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) and remains key to attaining food security in the country.
But
the sector has suffered setbacks from devastating pests such as the Fall Army
Worms (FAW). Fall Army Worms is a pest which was first reported in Africa in
2016. In the same year, it was also detected in Zambia. Notably, the pest
predominately affects maize, which is admittedly the country’s staple crop
grown by over 2.7 million households. However, the pest affects other crops
such as sorghum, millet, cotton and soyabeans to a minimum level.
More
importantly, maize contributes 56 percent of the total area of annual food
crops. At the same time; its caloric consumption is estimated to be between 30
to 70 percent. The onset of this pest has culminated in various concerns which
impact on food and nutrition insecurity especially in rural areas.
Sadly,
the FAW has proved to be vicious in attacking maize in all the 10 provinces of
the country, as the prevalence of FAW is high and most farmers have experienced
its devastating effects of this pest on their maize fields.
Against
this backdrop, Government released a whooping Three million United States
dollars US$3,000,000 to purchase pesticides which included personal protective
equipment and seeds for replanting during the 2016/2017 farming season as control
measures aimed at containing the pest. This initiative was financed through the
Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU).
Government
further engaged research initiatives through one of its key institution, the
Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI) has partnered with the
International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF). ICRAF is a renowned
centre of science and development, which also focuses on excellence in order to
enhance multiple benefits trees offer to agriculture, livelihoods, resilience
and the future of the plant.
These
institutions embarked on rigorous research and formulating solutions for the
smallholder farmers countrywide which ought to be affordable and sustainable in
the long-term.
In
a recent stakeholder meeting held at Cresta Golf View, Ministry of Agriculture
Permanent Secretary Songowayo Zyambo explained that these partners undertook a whole
year of research and collected data on the use of Agro ecological approaches in
the management of the Fall Army Worm pest among smallholder farmers in Zambia.
Mr
Zyambo disclosed that the meeting aimed at information sharing on the research
gathered so far to further inform policy interventions developed in combating
Fall Army Worms which has affected and disadvantaged smallholder farmers in the
maize production value chain.
He
expressed concern that the chemical control method is “expensive and environmentally
damaging and unsustainable. It also poses severe health risk to many poorer
farmers.”
Given
this status quo, what is appropriate is to pursue other control methods. He hailed
staff at ZARI and ICRAF for pursuing alternative methods in order to examine
the effectiveness of Agro ecological control options for Fall Army Worm
Management. This will enable the development of Comprehensive Insect Pest Management
(IPM) strategies.
And
Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) Director, Peter Lungu applauded NORAD
for being one of the funding partners supporting ZARI’s and ICRAF’s research in
developing farmer friendly pesticides and other affordable technologies meant
to curb the spread of Fall Army Worms.
Speaking
on his behalf, Dr Mukanga Mwenshi highlighted that what is required is
developing ecological control of the Fall Army Worm for smallholder farmers in
Zambia and Southern Africa as a whole.
“Trials
have been undertaken in Chongwe, Kawambwa, Kazungula and same number of
districts in Malawi,” said Mr Lungu.
He
added that a multisectoral approach of dealing with the Fall Army Worms will be
more effective and ultimately contribute to food security being addressed.
And ICRAF Country
Representative, Professor Rhett Harrison, explained that the problem of
pesticides besides their high cost and destructive nature to natural enemies,
they are inappropriate because even if governments opted to give to farmers at
a low cost, more farmers could acquire the pesticides but such an approach is
unsustainable and merely leads to dependence.
“The best solution is to
embrace Agro-ecological approaches which are low cost and key to IPM for Fall
Armyworm technologies which are accessible by many smallholder farmers in the
local context,” said Professor Harrison.
And
University of Zambia Professor Philip Nkunika observes that there is need to
find a systematic way of disseminating these low cost technologies.
Professor
Nkunika pointed out that one of the problems of information packages developed,
the information mostly remained with experts while the targeted beneficiaries
who smallholder farmers rarely accessed this vital information, which is key to
better inform them in their value chains.
He
noted that it paramount to find appropriate ways of packaging research
information in easily accessible and available formats to better inform the
farmers on some of the risks and solutions in their agriculture activities.
Professor
Nkunika also said the University of Zambia has now engaged in a critical mass
of controlling Fall Army Worm through working collaboratively with the
Departments of Crop Science, Biological Sciences and Computer as well as
research institutions such as ZARI and IITA. Such collaboration promotes team
work and concerted efforts towards coming up with appropriate solutions.
“We
are on a progressive trajectory in dealing with the Fall Army Worm than
before,” equipped Professor Philip Nkunika.
National
Union for Small-Scale Farmers President Ebony Lolozi disclosed that so far
especially interactive forum ZARI AND ICRAF, important and commend players for
their stakeholder involvement.
Mr
Lolozi pointed out that for a long a time now, there has been a gap existing
between farmers and researchers in the provision of information. To bridge this
gap, it will be prudent to find appropriate ways of sharing information and
increased networking between farmers and researchers.
“It
is necessary to consider providing publications in local languages to ensure
farmers understand the messages. In the foreseeable future, as a farmers Union,
we would like these stakeholder forums to continue to give various insights in
various low cost technologies and also develop publications in simplified formats
so that findings of research are broadly disseminated,” he said.
