The use of irrigation across Sub-Saharan Africa creates conditions that attract devastating foreign plant pests, such as the tomato leaf miner, a Kenyan study has found according to a report by Acclimatise. East Africa is at particular risk of infestations from the moth, as temperatures and seasonal rainfall in the region increase due to climate change, the researchers warn.
The study, published in PLOS One on 7 August, describes how rainfall in Africa is likely to increase by ten per cent over the next two decades under the latest climate change predictions, while temperatures are set to rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius. Coupled with rising irrigation, this will create a warm and moist environment in which crop-eating insects from other tropical countries and continents can thrive. For example, the climate of the tomato leaf miner’s original habitat in South America is similar to the climate developing across large parts of Africa. The Kenyan researchers are now trying to help affected farmers by training them to manage the pest by introducing natural predators, according to Mohamed.