KALRO lead agricultural Entomologist Paddy Likhayo said since the outbreak of fall worms was reported in the country in 2016 the maize yields dropped by between 30 – 50% further aggravating the already fragile food security in the country. He said preliminary assessment at the research station indicated that at least two or three of the resistant varieties may be approved once the regulator certified the recommendations from the project. Boddupalli told farmers during a visit at the research stations where the viability of naturally tolerant varieties of maize from Mexico were being tested that scientists were experimenting the foreign seeds to establish their resistance to tropical pest and diseases. ″We want farmers to dissociate from application of synthetic toxic pesticides and chemicals but revert to use of combined approaches like use of resistant varieties, bio pesticides and related biological control methods that are environmentally friendly″ he said. Prassana Boddupalli- Director Global Maize programme at CiMMYT said the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) was to encourage farmers in Sub Saharan Africa and Asia where the outbreak of the fall army worm devastated their yields to adopt less toxic and affordable ways of containing the invasive pests.

The project which is fronted by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre ( CiMMYT), Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and ICIPE is on trial phase at Kiboko field station in Makueni County and is expected to be concluded by February next year.

The government has partnered with multinational research organizations to develop an eco-friendly pest management technology to contain the spread of fall army worms in Kenya.

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