Zimbabwe: Agronomists meet to fight armyworm
ZIMBABWE: Regional crop specialists have agreed to collaborate in the fight to eradicate armyworm which normally destroys cereal crops between December and March each year. The calls to strengthen ties among SADC member states was made at a Capacity Development for Community-based Armyworm Forecasting on Southern Africa workshop held in Harare yesterday. Crop specialists from Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe attended the workshop which was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Winfred Hammond, a senior entomologist with FAO, told delegates that armyworm and other transboundary pests could have a devastating effect on the region’s food security if left unchecked. “It is important the region develops an early warning system against threats, facilitate and organise joint technical assistance on armyworm in the region,†Hammond said.
