Farmers tipped how to combat fall army worms

Ministry of Agriculture deputy director responsible for field crops Martin Kausi has urged farmers in Nkhata Bay to embrace new technologies to fight fall armyworms.

He said this on Monday during a field day at Lweya Irrigation Scheme in the district.

Kausi, who is responsible for crop production, said the ministry advocates for different technologies for farmers to make their own choices.

“We demonstrated different technologies. This will give farmers a chance to choose the best local, cheap and environment-friendly innovations that suit them,” he said.

Kausi said the use of chemicals should be a last resort as they pose a threat to people’s lives and can lead to soil degradation.

Nkhata Bay district director of agriculture, natural resources and environment Watford Banda said his office has for the past five years been demonstrating the technologies.

“Some of the technologies include planting maize with tephrosia vogelli [fish bean] and cow peas,” he said.

Banda further said farmers can choose any technology depending on its effectiveness, accessibility and affordability.

One of the farmers, Dorothy Shaba from Kalera Village in Traditional Authority Malanda commended the ministry for sharing the technologies as they are key to fighting the fall armyworm threat.

The field day was held under the theme ‘Scaling-up adoption of sustainable and effective fall armyworm management technologies; key to increased crop productivity and production’.

The function was coordinated by the ministry and Food and Agriculture Organisation with funding from the European Union.