By George Munene

Produced by the Tree Health Unit, a department of Tree Genebank at CIFOR-ICRAF Nairobi, Kenya, the Major pest and disease identification and management guide for mango, avocado, tamarillo, and grevillea guide provides free vital information to help smallholders, extension and rural advisory services identify and manage all pest and disease incidences before causing total crop failure.

According to field observations in parts of Rwanda and Kenya where mango, tamarillo, avocado, and grevillea production is prominent, the incidences of pests and diseases are reducing the benefits of these production systems.

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Introduced this year, the guide is intended to highlight major pests and diseases found in mango, tamarillo, avocado, and grevillea and possible management plans to reduce their spread and their losses. It also highlights wider strategies for dealing with pest and disease break-outs.

Increasing demand for tree products has led to the wide production of exotic and native tree species in forest and agroforestry plans. Pests and disease incidences are at the same time a growing continental crisis. Diseases spread is accelerated by climate change dynamics and implications are concerning African farmers already challenged by weak intervention capacity, fragmented ecosystems, and porous borders. Impacts may also trigger loss of biodiversity, and food crisis and constrain agroforestry adaptation strategies.

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Authored by Sheillah Cherotich, Willis Ochilo, Sammy Carsan, and Zakayo Kinyanjui the publication was made possible by Reversing Land Degradation by Scaling up Evergreen Agriculture (Regreening Africa) project funded by the European Union.

Download the copy here