Uasin Gishu Receives Pesticides from FAO to Fight Fall Armyworms

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The County Government of Uasin Gishu has received over 55,000 liters of pesticides from the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in a bid to help fight the fall armyworms invasion.

County’s Agriculture Executive Samuel Yego says the pesticides are being used to help farmers from across the county in fighting the warms that have invaded their farms.

In an interview with Uasin Gishu News, Yego notes that the fall armyworms have been reported in almost all areas across the county.

Uasin Gishu Agriculture CECM Samuel Yego

He, however, says the damage is not severe.

The fall armyworms have attacked both maize and pasture lands. They started in Kapseret, then went to Soy and Moiben areas. They are basically all over,” noted the Agriculture executive.

Yego says the invasion has been on the rise due to the current warm weather that encourages the fall armyworms multiplication.

The worms always appear whenever there is not sufficient rain. We expected rains at this time but since there is not enough rain, they have multiplied and attacked farms. Its effects are not yet severe,” he noted.

A fall armyworm on maize

The Agriculture Executive said, as a county, they are mitigating the situation by supporting farmers through spray chemicals, some of which have been received from the national government and FAO.

He asked farmers to keep scouting their farms, and should they see any signs of the fall armyworms, they should report to the local agricultural officers for help.

Those who don’t scout their farms will incur huge loses,” Yego cautioned.

Farmers in several parts of the county have been worried over the fast-spreading fall armyworms that put their young maize at risk of being attacked.

Recently, maize farmers in Moiben Sub County said at least 100 acres had already been invaded, with fear that over 1,000 acres will have been affected within the next few weeks.

Farmers in Elgeyo Marakwet County have also been affected by the armyworms, with the county government saying so far, at least 400 acres have been invaded in Keiyo North.

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