As part of our farmer communication series, we wanted to reach out to farmers in Southeast Asia to find out how they are managing Fall Armyworm (FAW) and other plant pests and diseases. In this October 2021 video interview, ASEAN FAW Action Plan project associate, Randolph Candano, interviews farmer Ener F. David.
Kuya Ener is a full-time rice and corn farmer from Mabalacat, Pampanga, Philippines. He has been farming for more than 20 years. The arrival of FAW to his farm has greatly affected his corn yield and he believes the damage from FAW has gotten worse and that it has been one of the most difficult pests he has ever had to manage.
For Kuya Ener, the most difficult part of managing FAW has been the use of pesticides as he doesn't want to use them but believes it is currently the only way he can successfully control the pest. He is very interested in learning about different technologies and solutions for managing FAW.
"Pests are part of our life as a farmer - we need to know about all the technologies or ways to control them."
Mr Ener is interested in finding out more about biological control solutions that are effective and he is also interested in resistance management. He wants to find out as much as possible about all aspects of his plant pests so he can be best informed on how to manage them.
Again, it's a great reminder of ensuring that we communicate more effectively with farmers - and ensure they are a central part of the development of efforts to control plant pests and diseases.