Once fed, they reproduce quickly, living up to their name by gathering in large numbers to eat through their next crop. They prefer cereals, like maize and sorghum, but will eat almost any vegetation. But these hungry caterpillars feast on a broad range of vegetation. Most caterpillars are fussy eaters, meaning they only feed on certain crops. Then they break another rule at this point. The moths lay huge amounts of eggs, and the hatching caterpillars emerge with a voracious appetite. This speed has enabled it to cover virtually the entire continent in 2 years. In its adult stage, as a moth, it can fly more than 60 miles in a single night. The problem, Ferris says, “is that the fall armyworm arrived in Africa with no natural enemies to stop its spread.” Native to the American tropics, the caterpillar first appeared in West Africa in January 2016. Photo courtesy of Institute of Science and Agronomy of Burundi Its vast numbers and voracious appetite threaten food security throughout the region. The fall armyworm has in less than 2 years spread across sub-Saharan Africa.
A report by the Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International in October estimated maize losses due to the fall armyworm will cost 12 African countries up to $6.1 billion per year. “This is very worrying, as this is only the first year of the fall armyworm invasion,” Ferris says. CRS’ agriculture experts across Africa are already reporting 20 to 30% crop losses. It is especially hard on corn, or maize, as it’s frequently called in Africa. The fall armyworm-in fact, a caterpillar-can destroy as much as 70% of a farmer’s crop. “This pest is expected to be a major shock to an already fragile economic situation for many millions of households,” says Shaun Ferris, Catholic Relief Services’ director of agriculture and livelihoods.
In a little less than 2 years, this pest has eaten its way from West Africa to South Africa, and is now damaging crops in virtually every country in sub-Saharan Africa. On a continent where growing enough food to eat is a constant battle for millions of families, there is a new threat: the fall armyworm.
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