Insect pests cause major yield losses in agricultural crops. Climate change is expected to exacerbate this impact, with warming temperatures affecting insect populations, range expansion and outbreaks. To inform the development of integrated pest management strategies, the International Potato Center (CIP) launched an online Pest Distribution and Risk Atlas for Africa in early 2017.

This open-access, mobile-accessible resource combines up-to-date information on major insect threats to potato, sweetpotato, vegetable and maize production with current risk maps for each pest and predictions for future climate scenarios. Researchers, agricultural ministry officials and extensionists can use that information to plan efforts that help farmers better manage crop pests now and prepare for future threats. The maps were generated using insect life cycle modelling software (https://research.cip.cgiar.org/confluence/display/ilcym/Home).

“Any increase in temperature caused by climate change will have drastic effects on pest invasions and outbreaks that will affect pest management, crop production and food security,” said Jürgen Kroschel, CIP Agroecology and Integrated Pest Management science leader, who started the Pest Risk Atlas project.

Continue reading the story in the RTB 2017 Annual Report: From science to scaling