Researcher Diary: Fall armyworm control

As part of my internship, I participate in the Nurture project, which aims to increase the climate resilience of vulnerable smallholder farmers in northwest Cambodia by increasing their income and stabilising yields.

Along with the huge threat of climate change and lack of market access, information and capital, farmers in the target area also face the risk of crop failure due to the fall armyworm (FAW).

An invasive pest

The FAW is a voracious and polyphagous pest which invaded Cambodia in 2019. It has the ability to descend on fields like an army. This is mainly due to its rapid spreading capacity and extreme adaptability.

The adult version is a very mobile nocturnal moth, which can fly up to 100 km per night. In addition to those long distances, female moths lay an average of 100–200 eggs per night. Larvae prefer to feed on maize, rice and other tasty grasses, but when the favoured plants are not available, they can choose from more than 300 other plant species.
 

Worldwide destruction

This moth began its journey to conquer the world almost a decade ago, starting from the Americas. It first travelled, probably by plane, to Africa, where it caused immense damage to maize crops. Afterward, it moved on to Asia.

Similar to the situation in Africa, the pest is likely to become endemic in many Asian countries due to the conducive environment.

According to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the countries here are not yet adequately prepared to tackle this relatively new pest. There is a need for a common transnational and national strategy to control the FAW, including the development, validation, promotion, and scaling up of practical, cost-effective and sustainable Integrated Pest management (IPM) control methods which fit the local context.

Current management methods

Cambodian farmers primarily rely on agricultural supply stores as their main source of information on pest management. Various types of synthetic chemical insecticides are currently used to control FAW, and the majority rely solely on the active ingredient Emamectin benzoate, which poses certain risks for long-term pest management. In Brazil, some FAW population have already developed a resistance to this active ingredient.

Therefore, we are evaluating the efficacy of three commercially available biopesticides through participatory field trials. The biopesticides include neem oil, Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria, various entomopathogenic fungi and viruses.
 

Field trials

Participatory field trials have involved challenges such as having to sow maize twice due to delayed rainfall, a herd of hungry zebus and water buffaloes ending a trial prematurely by grazing on one of the plots, and a farmer confessing to me with a sly smile during an interview that he applied insecticide within the trial area.

Identifying the preventative and intervention methods for FAW that are locally available and used by smallholder farmers is a priority. By interviewing farmers, we sought to understand their knowledge, pest management practices, information sources, perceptions, and needs regarding the current FAW situation.

All results and findings of this applied research will be summarised in recommendations for local actors and for further research. These actors include NGOs, the Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (PDAFF) in Cambodia, the private sector, and, most importantly, the smallholder farmers.
 

Valuable insights, learnings and connections

The Nurture project is implemented by two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – HEKS/EPER and Caritas Switzerland – and co-funded by Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC). For me, it’s been invaluable to contribute to such a project and gain insights into development cooperation – I’ve seen, firsthand, its usefulness and importance in such a context.

This six-month internship is a unique chance to gain experience in development projects abroad and a great way to connect with a lot of wonderful and supportive people. I’ve learned a lot from the different project activities, the research and especially from the exchange with the farmers. I’m impressed by their knowledge, although they face a lot of constraints, and deeply struck by how positive they are and how willingly they share all kinds of information with me. This generally applies to Cambodians as well: I have never met such friendly and helpful people anywhere in the world as I have here.

I’m very happy to be doing this internship and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to study agriculture in a global context and broaden their professional and personal horizons.

Text by Noah Rauser

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