Maize farmers in Kenya have expressed concern over the threats posed by FAW, and Wilson Ronno, head of the crop production unit at the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) office for Kenya, was reported as estimating that more than 400 000ha have been affected in East Africa.

According to a report by Voice of America, the FAW first landed in Kenya around March. It quotes Joe DeVries, vice-president for programme development at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, as saying that the fall armyworm spread rapidly to the region after first being reported in Nigeria earlier in the year.

“We’re talking about a pest that literally just arrived this year in this region and is already causing major concern among farmers, partly because they’ve never seen it before and don’t know how to control it, and partly because of the damage that’s already occurred on their farms,” said DeVries.

In a brochure prepared by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture said the FAW infestation was first detected on off-season irrigated maize in Trans Nzoia County in the second week of March. A subsequent field survey confirmed the pest in the Bungoma, Kakamega, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Kericho, Baringo, Nakuru, and Busia counties.

A subsequent field survey confirmed the pest in the Bungoma, Kakamega, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Kericho, Baringo, Nakuru, and Busia counties.

The report said the pest is spreading rapidly and could cause 100% loss in crops including maize, rice, pasture, sorghum, millet, cotton and certain vegetable crops. It added: “This will result in national food insecurity and loss of income unless urgent measures are implemented.”

It added: “This will result in national food insecurity and loss of income unless urgent measures are implemented.”

An FAO report compiled before 25 April said the pest had also spread to Bomet and Narok in South Rift, and Baringo in Central Rift. There have been unconfirmed reports of FAW in eastern and coastal areas.

Government steps in over maize prices

An FAO food price monitoring analysis report on Kenya said the government there had recently introduced temporary subsidies in an effort to reduce steadily increasing maize prices.

“Prices were at record or near-record highs in April, underpinned by reduced supplies from the 2016 short-rains second season harvest and concerns over the upcoming 2017 long-rains harvest due to early season dryness and armyworm infestations,” it stated.

In October last year the Zimbabwean government introduced a similar programme for maize farmers, which has been credited for the increase in maize output, to around 2,2 million tons, this year.

The programme spent US$253 million (R3,8 billion) to support farmers to grow the staple crop on 153 000ha.

Encouraged by the programme’s success, the government has raised US$140 million (R2,1 billion) to finance winter wheat production, aiming to put about 70 000ha under cultivation.

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa said ministers approved the command livestock model on Monday, 8 May.

Mnangagwa announced the Cabinet decision when he delivered a public lecture at Midlands State University, in Gweru in central Zimbabwe, on 10 May, saying: “Cabinet on Monday authorised that we proceed with [the] command livestock programme, targeting beef, dairy and poultry and the production of associated equipment.

“This will trigger economic activity as agro-processing companies, transporters, marketers and retail and related services will be distributing stock feeds to farmers, creating additional employment.”

He added that the improved cereal harvest, estimated at 2,7 million tons, including small grains, would help improve stock feed supplies for the livestock farmers who would be selected to participate in the command livestock scheme.

Adopting this state-led approach to animal husbandry follows the government recently approving an US$18 million (R270 million) investment to revive the Cold Storage Company, a government-owned meat-processing concern.

Joseph Made, minister of agriculture, recently reported that 600 000 livestock farmers in four south western provinces were already stacking hay and creating paddocks under the command livestock initiative.

Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Made said: “Like I said a few weeks ago, Namibia has offered to support us, the same for Botswana. They have well-developed livestock sectors and they will help us. With regard to Namibia they have very special breeds of beef cattle and goats that we feel can help improve our stock.” Made added that the initiative would prioritise beef and dairy production, before incorporating smaller stock.

Livestock farmers have welcomed the initiative, saying the government had appeared to favour and support crop producers, with yearly subsidised inputs and market access.

Paul Zakariya, executive director of the Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union commented on the programme, saying:  “Livestock producers need support [just] as crop farmers do. It appears that all these years much support was going to crops while livestock was ignored. With this initiative, this very important sector should improve in terms of animal population and quality, farm implements and machinery.”

“This is a good initiative that will get us up in a big way”.