Stemborers, parasitic striga weeds and poor soil fertility are the main constraints to efficient production of cereals in sub-Saharan Africa. Losses caused by stemborers can reach as high as 80% in some areas and an average of about 15-40% in others. Losses attributed to striga weeds, on the other hand, range between 30% and 100% in most areas, and are often exacerbated by the low soil fertility prevalent in the region. The soils are highly degraded due to continuous cropping with limited or no outside inputs to improve soil fertility. When the pests occur together, farmers often lose their whole crops. Crop losses caused by stemborers and striga weeds amount to about US$ 7 billion yearly, affecting mostly the resource-poor subsistence farmers.
Control of stemborers using pesticides is not only expensive and harmful to the environment, but also usually ineffective, as the chemicals cannot reach deep inside the plant stems where stemborer larvae reside. Similarly, the use of herbicides against striga is neither effective nor feasible among smallholders in the region for both biological and socioeconomic reasons. Stopping crop losses from stemborers and striga weeds, and improving soil fertility in eastern Africa alone could increase cereal harvests to feed an additional 27 million people in the region
Control of stemborers using pesticides is not only expensive and harmful to the environment, but also usually ineffective, as the chemicals cannot reach deep inside the plant stems where stemborer larvae reside. Similarly, the use of herbicides against striga is neither effective nor feasible among smallholders in the region for both biological and socioeconomic reasons. Stopping crop losses from stemborers and striga weeds, and improving soil fertility in eastern Africa alone could increase cereal harvests to feed an additional 27 million people in the region
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