Guidance note: Addressing the impact of COVID-19 on the Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control
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Fall armyworm (FAW) is a polyphagous, transboundary pest that has spread across more than 100 countries in less than four years, beyond its native territory in the tropical and subtropical Americas (see Figure 1). Once FAW finds favourable conditions for reproduction, it establishes itself with no possibility of eradication. It feeds and reproduces on suitable host crops such as maize, sorghum, millet and many other plants. FAW devastates crops and considerably reduces crop yields if it is not well controlled; thus, it represents a significant threat to food security and the livelihoods of millions of farmers. In response, in December 2019, FAO launched a bold, transformative and coordinated Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control, which aims to reduce yield losses caused by the pest by strengthening national capacities for sustainable management of FAW.
Concurrently, a global pandemic has emerged in the shape of COVID-19, which is caused by a transboundary and highly contagious virus that undermines human health by attacking the respiratory system and, in the worse cases, provoking pneumonia.
This guidance note highlights the impact that COVID-19 will have on the Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control, and thus the sustainable management of fall armyworm with an aim to achieve SDG2, Zero Hunger.