Innovative Regional Fruit Fly Control System in West Africa (Syrimao)

Fruit flies are a major problem for the horticultural sector in West African countries. They destroy 50 to 80% of fruit production. In 2016, the confiscation of mangoes at the borders of the European Union (EU) resulted in a loss of around €9 million for exporters in the region, or more than a third of the total value of exports that year.

The pressure of fruit flies on horticultural production (yields) has a negative impact on the food, health and social security of the population and on the environment (use of all kinds of pesticides); and on the economic security (income, exports, competitiveness) of the mango sector in particular. These crop pests have an impact on the entire horticultural sector in the countries of the region, threatening them with regression.

To provide a response commensurate with the seriousness of the plague, in November 2014 the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission initiated the Support Project for the Regional Plan to Fight and Control Fruit Flies in West Africa (PLMF), with financial support from the EU and the French Development Agency (AFD). The operational phase of the PLMF began in earnest in February 2015. The project has set up a surveillance and control system covering 11 of the 15 ECOWAS member countries, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. While 8 countries joined the project in 2016, Togo only joined in December 2017 and Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria in February 2018. The project is implemented under the aegis of the ECOWAS Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (ARAA), based in Lomé, Togo.

This system is a tool for (i) monitoring the quantity of mangoes produced in production basins, (ii) assessing infestation rates, (iii) issuing alerts to the various categories of stakeholders in the sector, and (iv) planning and assessing production campaigns. It is part of a drive to extend coverage to all trans boundary crop pests that have a major impact on the development of economically important agricultural sectors. By making these technologies available to producers, infestations can be prevented and early action can be taken using a trapping system for targeted, effective, inexpensive, sustainable and environmentally-friendly management (reduced use of chemicals).

The PLMF has also provided a framework for national laboratories in the target countries by supporting research protocols, and in particular by strengthening the National Fruit and Vegetable Specialisation Centre (CNS-FL) in Bobo-Dioulasso, which is in the process of becoming the "Regional Specialisation Centre" for fruit and horticultural production in West Africa. Due to lack of time, the techniques developed could not be fully finalised and rolled out on a large scale. Some of them, such as the use of dregs, the use of endogenous parasitoids, the multiplication of weaver ants, the use of cashew balsam, the formulation of a natural chilli-based pesticide, etc., seem promising and would enable effective, inexpensive pest control with low environmental impact. In addition, new areas of research could be supported, such as tests to find one or more repellent cover plants or host plants to place around orchards to protect them.

In a context increasingly characterised by the impacts of climate change, which influence the reproduction cycles of crop pests, and in particular fruit fly infestation, the challenges that remain at this stage are: (i) consolidating and widely publicising the results of the research; (ii) extending the activities to all 15 countries in the ECOWAS zone (by extending the regional system to Cape Verde, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone); and (iii) taking charge of the operational system at both regional and national level through a mechanism that will ensure the long-term survival of this surveillance and control system in the 15 ECOWAS Member States.

The Innovative Regional Fruit Fly Control System in West Africa aims to consolidate synergies between stakeholders around three themes: (i) research and innovation, (ii) capacity building, (iii) policy support. The project is divided into three operational components, and one component dedicated to overall coordination.

It is structured around four (04) Components (C), namely:

• (i) la consolidation et la diffusion à grande échelle des résultats de la recherche.
• (ii) l’extension des activités à l’ensemble des 15 pays de l’espace CEDEAO (en élargissant le dispositif régional au Cap vert, Liberia, Niger, et Sierra Leone). 
• (iii) la prise en charge du dispositif opérationnel tant au plan régional et national par un mécanisme permettant de pérenniser ce système de surveillance et de lutte dans les 15 Etats Membres de la CEDEAO.

Le Système Régional Innovant de contrôle des Mouches des fruits en Afrique de l’Ouest vise à consolider les synergies entre acteurs autour de trois thématiques : (i) recherche et innovation, (ii) renforcement des capacités, (iii) appui aux politiques. Le Projet est décliné en trois composantes opérationnelles, et une composante dédiée à la coordination globale.

Il est structuré autour de quatre (04) Composantes (C) à savoir :

• C1 : Research - Action - Development
• C2 : Support for national public-private coordination structures
• C3 : Surveillance - Monitoring - Early warning
• C4 : Coordination - Monitoring - Evaluation

C1 helps to achieve Outcome ER.1 through the establishment of close links between research, innovation, training and development, resulting in the effective adoption of prevention and control practices by producers.

C2 helps to achieve Outcome ER.2 through the coordination of activities at national level. The role of the National Fruit Fly Management Committees (NCs) has been strengthened and they will work closely and in coordination with the private sector and their respective National Applied Research Systems (NARS). They are directly responsible for advocacy activities in their states and also organise the various training cycles for producers, government officials and public and private sector staff. They also monitor and evaluate national activities.

C3 makes it possible to respond to Outcome ER.3. It consolidates and extends the surveillance and early warning system developed as part of the implementation of the PLMF by involving and mobilising all the relevant stakeholders affected by the fruit fly problem, in particular farmers and the private sector, research centres and plant protection services, in a long-term, grassroots approach at all levels (regional, national, local). The reactive system deployed in this way aims to achieve rapid operational responses and concrete results, with an improved and targeted impact.

The C4 coordinates activities at regional and national levels. Project coordination, under the aegis of RAAF, ensures the implementation of regional activities such as the organisation of research work, training courses and regional workshops and the monitoring of studies to be carried out as part of the Project. It is also responsible for facilitating exchanges between the various partners in the Project, particularly with the financial partners, and for cross-cutting activities such as monitoring and evaluation of the Project, audits and communication/visibility activities.