Drawing on a synthesis of the recent empirical literature, we show that since its first report in 2016, fall armyworm has continued to spread rapidly posing severe threats to the food security of smallholders in Sub-Saharan Africa. Fall armyworm impacts have been more pronounced during 2020 due to Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) restrictions that hampered labor availability and smallholder access to crop protection inputs. The agricultural system’s vulnerability to COVID-19 underscores the need for a recovery effort that focuses on building back better for smallholder communities to overcome the impacts of the pandemic, and build resilience against similar threats in the future. Institutional strengthening, linkages to input and output markets, and microcredit support will address immediate production challenges in the wake of COVID-19. Enhancing the technical capacities of smallholders and regional collaboration for multirisk monitoring and early warning will inform coordinated actions for the sustainable management of fall armyworm and other emerging risks.