Intro:

There is no need for African farmers to panic over losing their livelihoods to the Fall Armyworm pest, despite the fact that millions of hectares have been affected across the continent in recent months.

That’s the message of reassurance coming from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which on Friday published a comprehensive guide on managing the crop-eating pest, which originated in Central and South America.

Allan Hruska, Principal Technical Coordinator of FAO’s Plant Protection Division, said that there had been an over-reaction with too many farmers in Africa resorting to the use of insecticide, when there were plenty of “natural enemies”, such as ants, and fungi, already limiting the damage caused by the Armyworm.

Murielle Saar asked him to outline the challenge facing farmers around the world due to the pest, and what FAO hopes the new guide will achieve.