Giving Compass' Take:

• Sophie Maes explains how the invasive fall armyworm - along with other factors like climate change - is threatening food security in India. 

• How can funders support sustainable solutions for Indian farmers? 

• Read about the GMO food security debate. 

The fall armyworm, a caterpillar-like pest that has ravaged crops yields across sub-Saharan Africa for the last two years now poses a significant threat to food security in India.

Native to the Americas, the fall armyworm has been detected on staple crops across in both Asia and Africa in recent years. The first case in Africa was reported in 2016 in Nigeria, and since then billions of pounds of crops have been lost as a result of this quickly reproducing pest. The worm feeds on staples such as maize, sorghum, soya beans, and more than 80 other plant species, making the crops vulnerable to damage.

According to a pest alert by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the fall armyworm was detected on 70% of the maize plants in the Chikkaballapur district of India’s Karnataka state. India is now expecting to face major agricultural challenges, as maize is the country’s third-most important food grain, after wheat and rice.

The pest and other similarly destructive invasive species are especially devastating to rural communities in developing countries that depend on farming for both food security and their livelihoods.

Climate change has worsened the impacts of weather events like drought and flooding, which in turn has exacerbated the fall armyworm situation in India and Africa by creating the ideal conditions for the pest to survive and thrive.

Read the full article about India's food security by Sophie Maes at Global Citizen.