Kisumu farmers count losses from armyworms, failed rains
A maize plantation in Gul Kagembe village in Rangwe Sub-county which has been affected by army worms.
Farmers in Kisumu County are counting losses after fall armyworms invaded forms and destroyed maize and other crops.
The situation has been worsened by delayed rains in the current planting season.
Affected farmers reported seeing the destructive armyworms on their farms last week.
Charles Omondi, a farmer in Muhoroni, said the pests had destroyed his one-acre maize field.
Despite applying pesticides to his plants, the worms were still aggressively destroying them.
“With the return of the fall armyworm, I have lost all hope. With the help of county agricultural extension officers, we have sprayed some chemicals on the maize but the pests are still attacking the crops and damaging them,” said Mr Omondi.
Millicent Odhiambo, a farmer in Nyando, said county officials had visited her farm and sprayed chemicals to try and kill the pests but that did not help.
"We have now resorted to using a mixture of pepper and water to spray the maize crops," she said.
Small-scale farmers are worried about the likelihood of crop failure due to the persistent dry spell reported in most parts of the Nyanza region.
Worst affected areas
The worst affected areas include Nyando, Nyakach and Muhoroni, which have reported significant invasions of armyworms.
As desperation grows among farmers, researchers have advised farmers to combine a set of mechanical, biological and applied chemical mechanisms to reduce the effects of the pest.
Simlaw Seed Company chief research officer Robert Musyoki said that the national government needs to empower small-scale farmers, who form the majority of cereal farmers in Kenya.
“Definitely when small-scale farmers are affected, the whole country feels the pinch of the losses of the yield. They also depend on the production of food as their staple food,” Mr Musyoki said.
He said farmers need to be empowered on the right chemicals to use and how to apply them on the field.
“Insects can be controlled when we know their source. The government should create buffer zones to curb the spread of the armyworm to other areas of the county.”
They can ravage 160km in a day
The American armyworm moths can attack up to 160km of field a day.
Agriculture executive Gilchrist Okuom told the Nation that the county had received enough chemicals to tackle the pest.
Farmers have been asked to identify the plant infested and alert the nearest agricultural officer to get the right chemical check to curb the insect.
The national government has warned that this year’s crop will be affected due to delayed rains. This is the fourth year in a row that the armyworm has attacked maize fields in Kenya.
