The story

Pests can have a devastating impact on agricultural production, but horizon scanning and pest risk analysis can help to identify and prevent them. In 2018 and 2019, CABI launched two innovative decision-support tools to help with exactly this. Now part of PlantwisePlus, the Horizon Scanning Tool and Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) Tool help users, especially those working in plant protection, to identify potential pest threats. 

Since their introduction, CABI has been keen to understand how countries have been using the tools. Throughout 2021 and 2022, surveys were conducted about their usage. This led to a 2023 working paper, which revealed how the tools had impacted policy development and trade in Ghana. 

Ghana’s Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) has used the PRA Tool since 2018 in collaboration with its partners from national universities and research institutes. Since then, it has become the organization’s main tool for commodity pest risk assessments. In 2021, PPRSD conducted a PRA on tomatoes imported from Morocco into Ghana. The results revealed that an invasive pathogen, tomato torrado virus, posed a risk. The government took action, placing a ban on tomato imports from Morocco to prevent the introduction of the disease into Ghana. 

However, during this process, the authorities discovered that tomatoes had been imported without valid permits. This finding led inspectors to receive training at all border entry points to help them identify illegal commodity imports. In addition, since 2021, PPRSD has conducted PRAs on 14 other pests identified as priorities for the country’s agriculture through horizon scanning activities. The pests include Asian citrus psyllid, banana bunchy top virus and vegetable leaf miner. 

PPRSD now plans to use the PRA Tool to regularly update the country’s quarantine pest list. Based on empirical evidence, the PRA Tool offers staff a robust method of updating pest risk data and an effective means of addressing pest risks.