CABI has joined forces with world-leading biological control specialists Koppert to step-up a more sustainable fight against the tomato farmer’s worst enemy – the tomato leafminer, known scientifically as Tuta absoluta – which in Kenya alone causes 50-80 percent yield loss if no control method is applied.
The benefits of using biological controls to fight a range of crop pests threatening food security in the Neotropical region has been highlighted by CABI at the 4th Chilean Biological Control Symposium and the 1st Latin American Biological Control Symposium held this week in the city of Chillán, Chile.
Space-age technology to provide farmers with an early warning of pest outbreaks, which could devastate their crops and livelihoods, is paying dividends by increasing yields and reducing losses for maize farmers in Kenya.
The Bolivian Government has praised the CABI-led Plantwise programme, which helps farmers grow more and lose less to crop pests and diseases, for contributing towards the country’s efforts to increase its local, regional and national food security.
