• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News

Households in Zimbabwe affected by fall armyworm are 12% more likely to experience hunger

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
March 15, 2021
in Science News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
ADVERTISEMENT
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

CABI has led the first study to explore the income and food security effects of the fall armyworm invasion on a country — revealing that in Zimbabwe smallholder maize-growing households blighted by the pest are 12% more likely to experience hunger

IMAGE

Credit: CABI

CABI has led the first study to explore the income and food security effects of the fall armyworm invasion on a country – revealing that in Zimbabwe smallholder maize-growing households blighted by the pest are 12% more likely to experience hunger.

Dr Justice Tambo, lead researcher of the study published in Food and Energy Security, sought to investigate the impact of the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) on household income and food security as well as the extent to which a control strategy can help mitigate the negative impacts of the pest.

He, along with CABI colleagues from its centres in Kenya and Zambia as well as in collaboration with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Settlement, also found that severe level of infestation reduced per capita household income by 44% and increased a household’s likelihood of experiencing hunger by 17%.

Indeed, the research – which looked at survey data obtained from 350 smallholder maize-growing households in six provinces across Zimbabwe – showed that households affected by fall armyworm were 11% more likely to experience food shortage, and their members had a 13% higher probability of going to bed hungry or going a whole day without eating because of household food insufficiency.

The scientists also discovered that the fall armyworm-affected households who failed to implement a control strategy had a 50% lower per capita household income, while their counterparts that implemented a control strategy did not suffer a significant income loss. Around 30% of 185 households who reported fall armyworm infestation in their farms did not implement any intervention.

Those who did manage to control the pest typically used synthetic pesticides and handpicking of egg masses and larvae. Other methods included pouring ash or sand into maize whorls, rogueing and burning of infested plants, and the application of detergents.

Fall armyworm was reported for the first time in Zimbabwe during the 2016/2017 cropping season and has continued to spread and cause damage to crops in the following seasons.

Rwomushana et al. (2018) argues that the pest has the potential to cause an annual reduction in maize production in Zimbabwe of about 264,000 tonnes, translating into revenue loss of US$ 83 million.

Dr Tambo, who is based at CABI’s Swiss Centre in Delémont, said, “Our results suggest that while fall armyworm cannot be eradicated, taking actions to at least prevent severe level of infestation can significantly reduce welfare losses in terms of income and food security.

“Further studies are, however, needed to determine the threshold level of infestation that does not lead to significant welfare losses, as the present study applied a simple binary disaggregation of fall armyworm infestation into minor and severe infestation based on farmers’ self-reported information.

“More importantly, it would be useful to investigate which of the control measures can achieve the most positive outcomes that are cost-effective, safe and environmentally sustainable.”

###

Additional information

Full paper reference

Justice A. Tambo, Monica K. Kansiime, Ivan Rwomushana, Idah Mugambi, Winnie Nunda, Catherine Mloza Banda, Shingirayi Nyamutukwa, Fernadis Makale, Roger Day, ‘Impact of fall armyworm invasion on household income and food security in Zimbabwe’, 15 March 2021, Food and Energy Security, DOI: 10.1002/fes3.281

This paper can be viewed open access here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fes3.281

Media Contact
Wayne Coles
[email protected]

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/fes3.281

Tags: AgricultureBusiness/EconomicsDeveloping CountriesEmploymentFertilizers/Pest ManagementPersonalPersonal BusinessPoverty/WealthSocioeconomics
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Metabolic Messengers: The Role of Oestradiol

Metabolic Messengers: The Role of Oestradiol

June 24, 2025
Pulmonary T2* MRI: New Fetal Lung Assessment Tool?

Pulmonary T2* MRI: New Fetal Lung Assessment Tool?

June 24, 2025

Digital Platform Boosts CPEC Disaster Resilience, Innovation

June 24, 2025

Dispersion-Engineered Metasurfaces: Debye Relaxation Unveiled

June 24, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Green brake lights in the front could reduce accidents

    Study from TU Graz Reveals Front Brake Lights Could Drastically Diminish Road Accident Rates

    161 shares
    Share 64 Tweet 40
  • Pancreatic Cancer Vaccines Eradicate Disease in Preclinical Studies

    72 shares
    Share 29 Tweet 18
  • Enhancing Broiler Growth: Mannanase Boosts Performance with Reduced Soy and Energy

    66 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 17
  • How Scientists Unraveled the Mystery Behind the Gigantic Size of Extinct Ground Sloths—and What Led to Their Demise

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Metabolic Messengers: The Role of Oestradiol

Pulmonary T2* MRI: New Fetal Lung Assessment Tool?

Digital Platform Boosts CPEC Disaster Resilience, Innovation

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.