These e-Plant Doctors Can Help Solve Farmers’ Crop Woes in Minutes. Here’s How.
This article was originally published on ‘the better india’ When K Pathi noticed the notorious Fall ArmyWorm attack his corn plants, he didn’t rush to get pesticides. He did something entirely different. When 49-year-old K Pathi, a farmer in Maramadakki village in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, noticed the notorious Fall ArmyWorm (locally known as…
Why it’s so critical to continuously monitor and manage plant diseases
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Most of us understand the critical importance of monitoring the spread of diseases. And it is as important for plant diseases as it is for humans. Plant disease epidemics are often hidden from view, unlike human viral disease outbreaks. Yet food and forest production systems, as well as native…
Developing ‘last mile’ extension services with Plantwise in Nepal
In Nepal, the Community Business Facilitator (CBF) plant doctor programme is a successful pilot. Linking with the private sector, it reaches those in remote rural areas – or ‘last mile’ communities – with plant protection services, substantially increasing incomes and reducing losses for smallholder farmers. The CBF plant doctors conduct clinics at their own cost…
Reducing extreme poverty in Rwanda thanks to CABI-led Plantwise plant clinics
New research into the positive impacts the CABI-led Plantwise programme is having has revealed that its plant clinics have helped reduce incidences of extreme poverty in Rwanda by helping farmers fight crop-devastating pests and diseases.
Farmers in India use biointensive methods to manage fall armyworm
In mid-2018, presence of the highly invasive fall armyworm (S.frugiperda) was confirmed in Karnataka State, India. Since then, Plantwise and partners have been on the ground working to create awareness among farmers and contributing to the development of safe and effective management of the pest. Under a project funded by the CABI Development Fund (CDF),…
Plantwise helps with managing the invasive Fall Armyworm in Vietnam
During a recent visit to a plant clinic session in Vinh Phuc, Vietnam, first-hand evidence of this devastating invasive pest was shown to visiting CABI staff. A 76-year-old farmer, Madam Nguyen Thi Nam brought along damaged maize plant to seek advice from the plant doctor, Mrs Dang Thi Quynh Nga.
Joint forces against highly invasive Fall Armyworm Pest
Reblogged from plantix. PEAT, CABI and ICRISAT launch the first live tracking tool for Fall Armyworm (FAW) in India. The Fall Armyworm is a very invasive pest which is highly destructive to more than 80 plant species. The pest is native to America and has conquered the African continent in 2016. Since then, it has…
CABI warns of rapid spread of crop-devastating fall armyworm across Asia
CABI scientists have today warned of the impending rapid spread of the crop-devastating pest, fall armyworm, across Asia following its arrival in India, with major crop losses expected unless urgent action is taken. The warning comes following a pest alert published this week by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) on the website of one of…
Farmers Need Long-Term and Short-Term Solutions to Combat Fall Armyworm in Kenya
Reblogged from Farming First. From a distance, Wycliffe Ngoda’s two acres of shiny green maize crops look healthy and lush. But the tell-tale holes in the leaves and debris on the stems give away an increasingly dangerous secret hidden in more and more maize fields across Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa. The rampant Fall Armyworm caterpillar is…
Why African farmers should balance pesticides with other control methods
By Esther Ndumi Ngumbi. Reblogged from The Conversation. Insect pests cause almost half of the crop losses in Africa. If the continent is to feed its growing population, farmers must find ways to control them. Pests account for high losses in other developing regions too. For smallholder farmers in particular, pest management needs to be affordable, safe…