Food shortage fears as armyworms invade farms in Laikipia
African Armyworms invade farms in Murang'a County on April 11, 2022.
Farmers in Ol Moran ward in Laikipia County are counting losses following an invasion of armyworms, which have wiped out tens of acres of maize.
The African armyworms have been feeding on maize, grass and wheat, with farmers expressing frustrations in trying to control them.
The worms are a species of the moth family and the larvae often exhibit marching behaviour when moving to feeding sites, leading to the common name “armyworm”.
The worms mainly target young plants of between 15cm and 30cm, feeding on the leaves and stem, thus destroying the plant completely.
Kirima Deputy County Commissioner John Orata said hundreds of acres of land had been affected, causing fears of food shortages.
Agriculture Chief Officer Emily Kioko noted the presence of the worms but did not provide more details.
“The pests have been here for the past one month and the entire Ol Moran division has been affected. The destruction is running to hundreds of acres but there has been some intervention from the Ministry of Agriculture,” Mr Orata.
Farmers decried high costs of pesticides to control the worms, saying they could not afford them.
“I have already lost three acres of my maize plantation and I am currently trying to ward off the pests from destroying the one remaining acre. The cost of pesticide is Sh700 for a 10-litre knapsack sprayer,” said Ezekiel Nyambane, a farmer in Merigwet village.
Mr Nyambane said many farmers in the region have been overwhelmed by the high cost of controlling the worms and watched in despair as their crops were destroyed.
The invasion, which experts attribute to erratic weather patterns due to climate change, comes as the region, the bread basket of Laikipia, was expecting a bumper harvest.
Forecasts from the Kenya Meteorological Department had indicated that Laikipia West and Kirima sub-counties would receive normal rainfall in June, July and August, giving hope to residents as other parts of the county are experiencing severe drought.
Farmers have asked the national and county governments to rescue “what is remaining in the farms and to prevent the spread of the worms to the entire Laikipia West constituency”.
Last season, at the height of conflicts between farmers and pastoralists, farmers incurred heavy losses when migrating herders drove cattle onto maize farms, destroying the crops that were almost ready for harvest.
