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<\/p>\nAfter years of watching striga weed wipe out her maize harvests, smallholder farmer Margaret Awinja turned to imazapyr-resistant maize, a shift that restored production on her western Kenya farm and later positioned her as a resource for other farmers confronting declining yields.<\/p>\n
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Striga remains one of the most destructive weeds in maize-growing regions across sub-Saharan Africa, affecting an estimated 40 million hectares and contributing to annual crop losses valued in the billions of dollars. In Kenya\u2019s western counties, where maize is both a staple food and a source of income, the weed has historically made farming unpredictable. Awinja\u2019s experience mirrors that of thousands of smallholder farmers who struggle to recover once yields collapse.<\/p>\n
Read also:\u00a0Marrakech, Morocco, launches UNDP-backed master plan for integrated green waste management<\/a><\/p>\n After introducing imazapyr-resistant maize in 2008, Awinja saw striga disappear from her fields. The change allowed her to diversify beyond maize into bananas and beans, improving household food security and income stability. The success also drew her into farmer leadership. As director of the Western Region Farmers Network in Kakamega County, she began working with other farmers to share practical knowledge on crop management and improved seed varieties.<\/p>\n Her work expanded as Kenya\u2019s public agricultural extension services weakened, leaving many rural farmers without regular technical support. Through farmer groups coordinated under WEREFANET, communities pooled resources to access training on good agricultural practices and new technologies. Awinja estimates that about 60,000 farmers have benefited from programmes supported by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation through its Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation initiative.<\/p>\n Just as farmers were beginning to adapt to climate pressures such as irregular rainfall and longer dry spells, a new threat arrived. Fall armyworm was first reported in Kenya in 2017 and spread rapidly across maize-growing regions.<\/p>\n By 2018, it was responsible for losses estimated at one million tonnes of maize, roughly a third of national production at the time. Across Africa, a 2021 continent-wide assessment identified fall armyworm as the most economically damaging invasive species, with annual losses estimated at US$9.4 billion.<\/p>\n The pest\u2019s resilience has challenged conventional control methods. Smallholders often lack access to effective pesticides or the means to apply them safely, while repeated spraying increases costs and environmental risks. For farmers already operating on thin margins, the pest has compounded food insecurity and financial strain.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Impact-Assesment.jpg\")
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