Climate Change Opens Door for Armyworm
- csrice8
- Feb 16, 2017
- 1 min read
The fall armyworm has reared its ugly head in Africa wreaking havoc across the continent, destroying the maize crop which was much anticipated after droughts of the previous years. The armyworm pest is now present in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa. In South Africa, this pest is new and the Government is working around the clock to deal with the infestation.
In response to the armyworm attack across most of Southern Africa, Greenpeace Senior Food For Life Campaigner Nokutula Mhene has said:
“As the climate continues to change, and weather becomes more erratic, it is likely that such pests will appear and thrive in areas where they were previously unable to. The armyworm has been known to appear especially after a severe drought, meaning that we may have more infestations as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that most of Africa will suffer drought under climate change.
This will be compounded by the entrenched practice of monoculture which reduces bio-diversity including natural biological enemies of the Fall Armyworm. The current practices on the ground might mean that this pest will be resident for a long time should business as usual continue.
CE/ECHO/Anna Chudolinska