Joint Media Advisory
First conference of a new global research alliance to establish practical field solutions against Fall Armyworm
Time to scale up fight against the voracious pest
Despite significant efforts to control the spread of the invasive Fall Armyworm (FAW), first detected in Africa in 2016, the pest keeps advancing to new areas in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
The effects of its insatiable appetite continue to be felt across the continent as it feeds on many crops in addition to maize, with for instance an increasingly growing appetite for sorghum and millet. Without appropriate action, the FAW threatens to cause billions of dollars in annual damage to African food staples.
As part of a global effort to roll out a sustainable integrated FAW management programme adapted to the African context, 35 organizations have united their efforts in a global coalition of research for development partners. The new consortium focuses on developing a shared vision of how farmers should fight against this pest.
The International Consortium members will hold their first face-to-face meeting on October 29-31, 2018, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The African Union Commission (AUC), AGRA, CABI, CIMMYT, FAO, icipe, IITA and USAID are organizing this international conference.
The keynote speakers who will address the opening of the Conference on 29 October 2018 (0800 – 1030 am) at the African Union Commission are:

 H.E. Mr. Oumer Hussen, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Ethiopia.
 Dr. Godfrey Bahiigwa, African Union Commission Director for the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture

Other high level panelists include:
 Dr Eyasu Abraha - Hon State Minster for Agriculture Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Ethiopia
 Martin Kropff - Director General, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
 Diana Akullo - Policy Officer, African Union Commission.
 Hans Dreyer - Director of FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division
 Regina Eddy - Coordinator USAID Fall Armyworm Task Force.

FOLLOW ON TWITTER
#FallArmyWorm | #FAW | #IPM
@_AfricanUnion | @AGRAAlliance | @CABI_News | @CIMMYT | @FAOEastAfrica | @icipe | @IITA_CGIAR @USAID @AUC_CAADP

Media Contacts
 AUC | Carol Jilombo | Jilomboc@africa-union.org | +251 116182875
 AGRA | Waiganjo Njoroge | WNjoroge@agra.org | +254 723 857 270
 CABI | David Onyango | D.Onyango@cabi.org | +254 725 525 540
 CIMMYT | Jerome Bossuet | J.Bossuet@cgiar.org | +254 796 88 6651
 FAO | Edward Ogolla | Edward.Ogolla@fao.org | +251 940790288
 icipe | Nebiyu Solomon | N.Solomon@cgiar.org | +251 (0) 911 745902
 IITA | Katherine Lopez | k.lopez@cgiar.org | +234 0700800, ext. 2770
 USAID | press@usaid.gov

Journalists are invited to attend and cover the opening ceremony scheduled on Monday 29th October 2018 at 8:00am at the AU Headquarters.