Report: Plenary of the ASEAN Action Plan on Fall Armyworm Control

Author(s): 
Dr Alison Watson
Organization(s): 
Grow Asia

The Fall Armyworm (FAW) is a highly destructive pest that has recently established itself in Southeast Asia. If not effectively and urgently managed, FAW will have a disastrous impact on the region, with millions of smallholder farmers left particularly vulnerable. Estimates point to US$884 million in losses annually in the region from farmer income losses and additional maize import costs.

An 28 May 2020, an online dialogue was run by Grow Asia - with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam (MARD), the ASEAN Secretariat, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) - to provide expert advice and guidance on the control of Fall Armyworm (FAW) and introduce the ASEAN Action Plan on Fall Armyworm to the public. During the session (which has been summarized comprehensively in this report) experts shared different perspectives to FAW control (i.e., government, research, independent practitioners, and industry sectors), and the ASEAN Action Plan on FAW was presented. The vital next phase of securing funding and initiating implementation of the plan was also outlined.

 

Crop: