The ASEAN FAW Action Plan
A Regional Approach to FAW Control and IPM
On 21 October 2020, ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry agreed to a comprehensive regional Action Plan on Fall Armyworm (FAW). This destructive pest, which arrived in 2018 is now established across Southeast Asia. The Action Plan sets out the goals, objectives, and work programmes to support countries to respond to, monitor and manage FAW across Southeast Asia.
Work Programmes of the ASEAN FAW Action Plan
Six work programmes bring a comprehensive approach to monitoring and management of FAW across Southeast Asia
Coordination, Communications & Management
Work Programme 01
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Project management and reporting, including Secretariat services
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Establish multi-stakeholder communication and coordination strategy and networks
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Conduct project monitoring, review and reporting
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Implement and manage funding platform
Knowledge
& Policy
Work Programme 02
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Employ existing knowledge to pre-define IPM-compatible products and emerging ‘Good Practices’
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Define priority needs for local registration / implementation
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Provide tailored policy support to national governments
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Build capability within the ASEAN research and policy community
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Facilitate communication to address Covid-19 disruption in seed/pesticide supply chains
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Map ‘critical gaps’ and capacity needs
Farmer Learning & Support
Work Programme 03
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Integrate crowd-sourcing, FtF knowledge exchange and advisory tools
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Establish ToTs, digital FFS and farmer innovation hubs
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Develop efficient, simple-to-use, and targeted communications resources for farmers and extension service providers
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Promote multi-stakeholder learning alliances
Dynamic
Pest-Crop-Livelihood Baseline
Work Programme 04
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Generate basic insights into FAW biology, migration dynamics and in-field ecology
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Estimate FAW impact on maize agroecosystems
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Quantify economic thresholds for maize and 1-2 crops with significant losses due to FAW
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Assess constraints to farmer behaviour change and IPM technology diffusion
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Define FAW population dynamics and natural enemies across geographies/agro-ecological contexts
Surveillance & Impact
Work Programme 05
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Establish a pest monitoring network
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Understand and track pesticide resistance and ‘host strain’ profiles
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Geographic referencing of pest pressure and yield loss
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Anticipate value chain/food system impacts
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Generate FAW pest risk correlates and online ‘interactive’ map
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Investigate the potential of sensing, AI and farm robotics
IPM
Toolbox
Work Programme 06
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Validate of pheromone / kairomone-based trapping schemes and technologies
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Assess efficacy & cost-effectiveness of new and existing IPM schemes
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Characterize non-target impacts of current/future crop protection schemes
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Explore the potential for ‘“agroecological approaches” measures
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Validate and deploy CIMMYT-derived maize hybrids with native genetic resistance to FAW as a part of the IPM strategy in the ASEAN region.
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Integrate host plant resistance (including non-GM or GM cultivars with FAW resistance) & other IPM components (e.g., biological control)
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Define multi-functional benefits of best management practices in maize systems
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Investigate and optimize biological control tactics
ASEAN FAW Taskforce
The high-level governance group of the Action Plan.
Chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam, the ASEAN FAW Taskforce is made up of Members of the ASEAN Expert Working Group on Phytosanitary Measures along with representatives from the private sector, farmers organisations and the research sector, along with Lead Partners of the Action Plan.
