CABI has initiated activities with Koppert Biological Systems to increase the fight against crop pests and diseases which threaten the food security and livelihoods of thousands of farmers and their families in Kenya.
CABI has signed a collaboration agreement with Koppert to deliver more Plantwise plant doctor training in Kenya, with funding from the Koppert Foundation. This includes plans to further raise the awareness and promotion of biocontrol methods as part of integrated pest management (IPM) advice given to farmers.
Plantwise is a CABI-led global programme which works to help farmers lose less of what they grow to plant health problems. Working closely with national agricultural advisory services it establishes and supports sustainable networks of plant clinics, run by trained plant doctors, who can diagnose a range of plant diseases and advice on their treatment.
The agreement, which was signed during the NewAg Biocontrol Africa conference  in Nairobi (19 to 20 March 2018), may be followed by CABI and Koppert working collaboratively in the following ways:
- Looking at the possibility of scaling-up the supplementary plant doctor training nationwide using a ‘trainer of trainer’ approach
- Identifying more countries where additional plant doctor training could be replicated – such as other countries in Africa
Dr Ulrich Kuhlmann, CABI’s Executive Director Global Operations, said, ‘We’re delighted to have signed this agreement with the Koppert Foundation which will help broaden the scope and impact of the Plantwise plant doctors not only in Kenya but further afield.
“By sharing our collective knowledge and expertise in the field of biological control, we will also be able to support more farmers to grow more and lose less of what they produce – which is vital in securing their livelihoods and overall global food security and food safety.”
Koppert published a story in relation to this agreement which can be viewed here.
Additional information
Find out more about the CABI-led Plantwise programme by visiting www.plantwise.org
More information on the Koppert Foundation can be found at www.koppertfoundation.org
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