Biocontrol of papaya mealybug in East Africa
Papaya mealybug invaded East Africa between 2015 to 2020. The pest causes 57%- 91% yield and £2,224/ha household economic losses annually and severely impacts the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. As a means of control, nearly 51% of farmers manage the pest using pesticides which harm insect biodiversity in addition to…
CABI hosts delegation of top UK scientists and CGIAR
CABI recently brought together some of the world’s leading agricultural scientists and Professor Lindiwe Sibanda, Chair of CGIAR’s System Board, to discuss opportunities for greater collaboration between UK scientific institutions and CGIAR
Classical biological control of Japanese beetle
The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) is a pest that feeds on hundreds of fruit tree species, causing considerable damage. In the USA, costs to control the pest exceed $450 million per year. Global regions that climatically support the invasion of the Japanese beetle include central Europe where it is considered…
Mapping of weather and climate services for crop pest and disease management in Kenya comes under spotlight
The role of weather and climate services and digital tools for crop pest and disease management in Kenya has come under the spotlight as part of a stakeholder consultation held at CABI’s regional centre for Africa in Nairobi. The workshop was delivered by CABI as part of a collaborative project…
Establishing a digital plant health service in Malawi
Pests and diseases contribute to 40% of food loss leading to food insecurity. Synthetic pesticides are the predominant control method but these are associated with negative environmental and health concerns. The extensive use of chemicals has sparked a renewed interest in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) – an effective combination of…
CABI’s commitment to climate change adaptation highlighted at COP27
CABI’s commitment to helping millions of smallholder farmers around the world adapt to the impacts of climate change has been highlighted at COP27, the global climate change summit held annually by the UN, which this year is being held between 6 and 18 November 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Jonny…