Extension workers get new farm skills

Farmer sprays his orchard of pests. PHOTO | KELVIN ATUHAIRE

Continuous advances in global agricultural knowledge and technology have increased food production but there are several factors that make it difficult for farmers to maintain yields and high quality produce and food quality.
Plant health challenges are an ongoing issue for farmers due to pest and disease outbreaks, climate change and limited access to inputs.

As such Centre for Agriculture Biosciences International (Cabi) have developed simplified learning materials which will equip extension workers with latest knowledge on how to manage pests and diseases.

While receiving the materials, the commissioner for crop protection at the ministry of Agriculture, Stephen Byantwale said the simplified learning materials will improve agricultural extension service delivery in the country.

Plant clinics
Cabi, which facilitates the entire process normally identifies agricultural extension officers from the ministry and trains them to be ‘plant doctors’.

Equipped with knowledge, the agriculture extension officers are encouraged to hold mobile plant clinics in their sub-counties.

Christine Elokit, the Cabi country coordinator told Seeds of Gold that through the plant clinics, they have been able to manage crop pests such as aphids, meal burgs, scale insects, psyllids, thrips, plant bugs, plant hoppers, white flies, grasshoppers and locusts, moths, beetles, maggots, fall army worms and mites.

The extension workers have also been able to manage diseases such as leaf miner (Tuta absoluta) which infests the tomatoes.

“We encourage farmers to bring samples of plants that look unhealthy so that the extension workers can diagnose the diseases and identify pests before telling them what pesticides to use to remedy the situation,” said Elokit.