Support to Enhance Preparedness for Fall Armyworm Invasion among Countries - TCP/INT/3705

Support to Enhance Preparedness for Fall Armyworm Invasion among Countries - TCP/INT/3705

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Year of publication 2023

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 9

Publisher FAO ;

Category Factsheet

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Synopsis (short abstract) Fall armyworm ( is a noctuid moth native to the Americas, which is considered a pest due to the substantial agricultural damage it can cause Its larvae feed on over 80 crop species, including maize, rice, sorghum, millet, sugarcane, cotton, and various vegetable species, thus posing a threat to vital rural economies The FAW was reported in Africa for the first time in early 2016 in West and Central African countries and rapidly spread throughout sub Saharan Africa, causing significant agricultural and economic losses The emergence of the FAW was confirmed in India and Yemen in July 2018 and was later reported in Bangladesh Sri Lanka, and Thailand by 2019 A decline in agricultural productivity jeopardizes not only food security but also the livelihoods of farmers Because of crop trade and the moth's remarkable flying capacity, the FAW has the potential to spread to further countries, posing a major risk to crop production, particularly cereals In light of this, many countries have requested assistance to fight against the spread of the FAW and acquire management techniques, as well as monitoring and surveillance for early detection FAO initiated the Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control 2019 2022 as an urgent response to the rapid spread of the FAW This initiative assists smallholder farmers, their associations, public institutions, national governments, and development partners in responding rapidly to FAW infestation In this regard, FAO created a free mobile application for real time FAW monitoring, the fall armyworm monitoring and early warning system ( The Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control has established a global coordination structure to foster an open and collaborative dialogue towards achieving science based solutions This coordination structure is composed of a steering committee ( a working group on resource mobilization ( a technical committee ( and seven technical working groups ( In addition, national task forces ( were created at country levels FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division ( provides technical leadership through the FAW Secretariat, in collaboration with the International Plant Protection Convention ( Secretariat This approach allows all stakeholders, scientists, and governments to interactively discuss challenges and propose solutions that are tailored to each country The project took part in these coordination efforts and sought to assist newly infested countries in taking immediate action in response to the emergence of the FAWFall armyworm ( is a noctuid moth native to the Americas, which is considered a pest.

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Emergency Response to Enhance the National Capacity of Egypt for Early Warning, Monitoring and Management of Fall Armyworm - TCP/EGY/3706 2022

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Native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, the Fall Armyworm ( is a transboundary pest that travels great distances very quickly and feeds on a variety of crops, including maize, rice, sorghum and sugar cane The FAW was detected in West Africa for the first time in 2016 and within a few years, it had spread to almost all the countries in sub Saharan Africa Its presence was first reported in maize fields in Egypt in May 2019 Owing to the speed with which it spreads and the fact that it can feed on so many different plants, the FAW has the potential to devastate yields and damage crops in Egypt, thereby dramatically affecting food security and threatening the livelihoods of smallholder farmers This project was designed to build the capacities of a variety of stakeholders, including staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation ( and smallholder farmers, to identify, monitor and control the spread of FAW in Egypt through awareness raising, training programmes the implementation of Integrated Pest Management ( strategies and the provision of equipment.
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Time-Critical Measures to Support Early Warning and Monitoring and Sustainable Management of the Fall Armyworm in India - TCP/IND/3709 2022

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The Fall armyworm (FAW Spodoptera frugiperda is a transboundary insect pest native to the Americas It was first officially reported in India in August 2018 and was initially confined to the Southern State of Karnataka FAO immediately shared guidance notes, training material and management recommendations on FAW with key national stakeholders, and warned the Government of India of the likelihood of its spread to the entire country The Government issued advice to States, set up a High Power Committee and conducted surveys and surveillance through Central Integrated Pest Management Centres ( and awareness raising activities for farmers In June 2019 FAO support was requested as the infestation had spread to 20 States (Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura and West Bengal), spanning all ecologies from south to north The total affected area by the end of June 2019 was officially reported at 376 242 ha, and was expected to continue to expand with the onset of the main kharif.
Brochure

Regional Workshop on Fall Armyworm Management in Near East and North Africa Region
Cairo, Egypt 3-4 October, 2022
2022

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Integrated pest management (IPM) steps have been implemented as a part of the FAO project Emergency preparedness and response to strengthen the capacities of NENA countries to mitigate the risk of Fall Armyworm (FAW) in the region TCP/RAB/3803. Four demonstration fields were designed in each Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine to apply the biorational insecticides proposed by FAO in the inception workshop. At the early stages of the corn crop growth in the interval between 10-45 days after seeding, we suggested monitoring the fall armyworm by using pheromone traps. Once 3-5 males captured the first bioinsecticide Bacillus thuringiensis applied to the early plant stage (10-25 days after emergence) followed by Emamectin benzoate and Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) Lufenuron or any registered similar product. The same products plus Indoxacarb could be applied and interchanged are possible. Yield results were calculated and compared with the farmer fields following the conventional insecticides as a control. Following the 6 IPM steps farmers, facilitators, and technicians easily achieved very significant results when used with good agricultural practices by farmers. Avoiding using insecticides in the maturity stage was a substantial message to the farmers and also applying entomopathogenic fungi and natural enemies when available.