Management of migratory and invasive pests and weeds is critical in reducing food loss at pre and post-harvest stages of crop production. Plant Protection and Food Safety Directorate (PP&FSD) has been taking the lead role in managing the pests guided by a set of policies, regulations, and international treaties from the time it was created.
The current Plant Protection and Food Safety Directorate(PP&FSD) started as a unit in the 1970s and was referred to as “Crop Protection Unit”, focusing mainly on the management of migratory pests. The then migratory pests of interest were; Quelea quelea, African Armyworm and Locusts (Desert locusts, Tree locusts). Though not classified as a migratory pest, management of field rodents was also a mandate of the unit.
The unit was created upon realizing that farmers’ may not effectively manage migratory pests due to the technical expertise and the number of resources required. Furthermore, proper monitoring and early warning systems would be necessary, hence the need for government intervention.
In the 1980s, the unit was upgraded to a Branch with an expanded mandate to include a section focusing on post-harvest management of grain. This was after the accidental entry into the country of a very destructive storage pest, the Larger Grain Borer (Prostephanus truncatus) nicknamed by farmers Osama or Scania. The post-harvest section also covered capacity building for farmers to manage other storage pests such as grain weevils, rodents, and post-harvest management technologies such as proper drying, shelling, and storage of harvested grains to minimize mycotoxin contamination.
The Crop Protection Branch was later upgraded to a Sub-Division within the Crop Development Division. The mandate of the new sub-division was expanded to include advisory services on judicious use of pesticides. This was necessitated by the country facing several rejections of fresh produce due to high levels of pesticides. Major focus included capacity building of field staff and holding farmers awareness forum on responsible use of pesticides.
In addition, there was an increasing challenge on management of obnoxious weeds such as striga, nutgrass and “mathenge”. Challenges emanating from frequent infestations by emerging pests and diseases attributed to climate change witnessed since 2011 resulted in a further upgrade of the sub division to the Plant Protection Services Division (PPSD). For effective execution of its mandate, PPSD has been operating under three main sections, namely;
- The Migratory Pests Control section;
- The Crop Post-Harvest Management section
- The Pesticide Advisory, Pathology and Weeds section.
This effort by PP&FSD has been supported by several local, regional and international organizations. The policies and regulations guiding the management of these pests have also been reviewed over time to create several institutions supporting PP&FSD in managing different aspects related to pests and weeds management.