Dealing with fall armyworm

Organic ways to protect your maize fields from the devastating impact of the Fall Armyworm (FAW), one of the most successful ecological methods is Push-Pull Technology.

This system uses specific companion plants to naturally drive pests away from your main crop while attracting them to a sacrificial plant where they cannot survive.

How the Push-Pull Method Works

To set up this system, you plant two specific types of companion crops alongside your maize:

1. The "Push" Crop (Desmodium)

Desmodium is planted in between the rows of your maize.

• The Repellent: It naturally releases volatile organic chemicals that smell highly unpleasant to the adult Fall Armyworm moths, "pushing" them to fly away from your maize.

• Soil Benefits: Beyond pest control, Desmodium is a legume that fixes nitrogen in the soil, acts as a ground cover to retain moisture, and suppresses weeds (like the parasitic Striga weed).

2. The "Pull" Crop (Napier or Brachiaria Grass)

This grass is planted as a border all the way around your maize field.

• The Trap: It releases chemicals that attract the moths, "pulling" them to lay their eggs on the grass instead of the maize.

• The Dead End: While the moths lay their eggs here, Napier and Brachiaria grasses do not provide the nutrition the newly hatched larvae (caterpillars) need to grow. The larvae end up dying off naturally, stopping the breeding cycle.

Is it Effective?

Yes. Field trials conducted with hundreds of farmers across East Africa (including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Somalia) show a dramatic drop in the number of Fall Armyworm larvae on maize. Because it relies entirely on companion planting, it is highly cost-effective and completely organic, eliminating the need for expensive and toxic chemical pesticides.

To control fall armyworm organically, smallholder farmers can use neem oil spray, which disrupts the life cycle of the pest. Additionally, handpicking the larvae during early stages and practicing intercropping with companion plants like desmodium can significantly reduce infestations without using harmful chemicals."