Study suggests biological controls to fight crop pests can be a viable alternative to pesticides for rice farmers in the Greater Mekong Subregion
Between 2011 and 2015, CABI set up 22 Trichogramma rearing facilities as part of a project to promote the use of biologically-based Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for rice and maize crops. In addition to creating the Trichogramma rearing facilities, IPM strategies for rice and maize were developed in Southwestern China, Laos and Myanmar.
Improving the livelihoods of smallholder maize farmers around the Mekong
After rice, maize is the most important crop in the Mekong Delta. Insects including the Asian corn borer are a major threat to production. Fear of crop losses, together with a lack of alternative measures, can result in overuse of pesticides – posing health risks to farmers, consumers and the agro-ecosystem. This project will establish local production of an affordable biological control agent, the parasitic wasp trichogramma, which kills the eggs of maize pests.
MARDI-CABI Joint Laboratory Kicks Off in Malaysia
The 1st Steering Committee meeting of the Joint Laboratory between the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) and CABI, has this week taken place at the MARDI headquarters in Malaysia.
Legacy of AgriTT programme lives on at Rwandan biocontrol facility to fight crop pests
The legacy of the Working in Partnership for Agricultural Technology Transfer (AgriTT) programme, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), is living on at a facility in Rwanda which is producing biological control agents to kill a variety of crop pests including the devastating fall armyworm.
Joint Laboratory celebrates a decade of research and development to help ensure global food security
The Joint Laboratory for Bio-safety (Joint Lab), established by CABI and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), is celebrating 10 years of collaborative research and development to address Chinese and global needs for food and nutritional security.
Increasing rice production around the Mekong
Rice is the most important crop in southwestern China, Laos and Myanmar. Despite recent improvements, productivity is still low with millions of tons lost to pests, diseases and weeds. Intensive pesticide use has led to insecticide resistance, outbreaks of secondary pests and damage to farmers’ health. This project is introducing a biologically based pest management approach to safely and sustainably increase rice production, improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the region.