Scientists are calling for urgent action to halt the spread of a pest that is destroying maize crops and spreading rapidly across Africa.
The fall armyworm poses a major threat to food security and agricultural trade, warns the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (Cabi).
It says farmers' livelihoods are at risk as the non-native insect threatens to reach Asia and the Mediterranean.
The Food and Agriculture Organization plans emergency talks on the issue.
The fall armyworm, so called because it eats its way through most of the vegetation in its way as it marches through crops, is native to North and South America but was identified for the first time in Africa last year.
Cabi chief scientist Dr Matthew Cock said: "This invasive species is now a serious pest spreading quickly in tropical Africa and with the potential to spread to Asia.
"Urgent action will be needed to prevent devastating losses to crops and farmers' livelihoods."
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9 comments:
Didn't murder all the white farmers and steal their land ?
pestilence is coming
Throw lots of chemicals on the crops to get rid of the worms. And then watch the cancer rates in Africa start to approach that of the USA. Think the chemicals companies are the ones behind sounding the "alarm?" I wonder how much CABI, and their "scientists" are getting from the chemical companies. Huge money in it for some folks in this story.
Sevin works just fine. They can't make Sevin dust?
Why do we care? We got people and farmers here that need our help, not some land thief across the ocean, America First!
Try growing some herb.
I've heard that army worm and corn casserole tastes pretty good.
Sounds like Democrats. They are destroying the livelihood of farmers, coal miners, manufacturing companies... the list goes on.
Is there a chemical for them??
Sevin? Yeah, that's good stuff, right? Remember Bhopal India? Tha was a Sevin manufacturing plant. American Cyanimid killed more Indians with their chemical plant than General Custer did in the Indian wars.
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