Photos: Sebastien Malo / Thomson Reuters Foundation

AnimalsEnvironment Niger9. December 2019

Wasps Replace Chemicals to Fight Crop-Munching Worm

Millet, the most grown crop among farmers in rain-short Niger, is being attacked by the millet head miner caterpillar. So farmers have turned to wasps to help save the much-loved grain.

With over 5 million acres of land at risk, especially during drier seasons, the global aid agency Catholic Relief Services – with the help of a British government-funded program called Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters – proposed this natural fix: by introducing the Habrobracon hebetor wasp into the ecosystem, the wasps could lay their eggs on the caterpillars and devour them after being hatched.

This will save Nigerien farmers much of their crop as well as time, money, and peace of mind that there will be food on the table. All of this can be done without the use of costly and inefficient chemicals, which makes the approach sustainable and eco-friendly.

Source:
Thomson Reuters Foundation

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