Have Actions Taken to Control Fall ArmyWorm Reduced the Economic Cost Experienced in Ghana?

Summary

The rapid spread of the invasive crop pest, the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), across Africa in recent years has attracted considerable interest, especially the effect on maize farmers. The purpose of this study is to understandandassess the economic costs of the fall armyworm invasionin Ghana under different control scenarios.  Three different scenarios are modelled: one with no farmer applied control measures, one with limited control measures and one with proactive control measures that were used in Ghana in 2017.  Maximum, minimum and mid-range estimates of losses are presented for the second and third scenarios. The study is based on data available from CABI surveys, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana and FAOSTAT. 

Introduction

The rapid spread of the invasive crop pest, the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), across Africa in 

recent years and the resulting dramatic impact on crop production has attracted considerable media 

interest, especially the effect on maize farmerswho have been battling to save their crops.Thecrisis has led tosubstantial efforts by governments across Africa to help farmers control the pest and 

reduce the effect on the maize crop. The  outbreak has also been reported in  scientific publications; the latter also providing good reviews of the identification, biology, ecology and behaviour 

of the pest (see: Goergen et al 2016, Cock et al 2017, Abrahamset al2017). However, little research has been carried out onthe economic impact of the pest andwhether concerted efforts to control FAW 

can limit the economic effect on smallholder farmersin Africa. Thus, the aim here is to focus on the economics of the pest in Ghana as a case example.  We model three different scenarios to assess 

whether the actions taken to control FAW reduced the economic losses experienced within the country due to FAW.