Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute

TARI through Ukiriguru center has recently trained over 160 farmers in the Simiyu region on Push-Pull technology through the farmer's field day held at the Nyakabindi Agritech hub. The farmer's field day that took place on February 3, 2025, aimed at ensuring farmers in the Nyakabindi ward witness the performance of push-pull technology in combating fall armyworm without application of pesticides.

 The technology is an integrated cropping system that involves driving pests away from the main crop using a repellent intercrop (the push-desmodium) while attracting them out of the crop with trap plants (the pull-mulatto). Other benefits of the technology include improving soil health and moisture, increasing the main crop yield, while the push and pull intercrops are high-value livestock fodder.

 Speaking after the completion of the farmer’s field day, a researcher from TARI Ukiriguru center, Ms. Agnes Kapingu, highlighted that the aim of organizing on-field training was to disseminate Push-Pull technology to many farmers and create awareness of such best farming technology that does not need the application of chemical pesticides, which have detrimental effects on humans and environment when used inappropriately.

 "If many farmers adopt this technology, it will have an impact on protecting their health and the environment as well, and it will also protect friendly insects that attack fall armyworms," said Ms. Agnes Kapingu.

 Some of the attendees of the farmer’s field day commended TARI through the UPSCALE project which is under the funding of the European Union, for providing them with new crop production skills.

 "From what I have seen, this technology also helps to reduce the cost of weeding because Desmodium covers the soil and it is possible to suppress weed growth," said Godfrey William, a farmer from Nyakabindi.

"I have learned that it is easy to reduce the generation of harmful insects by only using plants because if a pest lays eggs on the plants surrounding the farm (Mulatto), the eggs will be destroyed. We would like TARI to keep reaching us with this knowledge so that we can produce maize at an affordable cost instead of spending much on buying high-cost pesticides," said Elia Shigalu, a resident of Gagabali, Nyakabindi ward.

 On her part, Ms. Isabella Mrema, an Agriculture Officer from TARI Ukiriguru who is also in charge of Nyakabindi Agritech hub, emphasized farmers to consider good agronomic practices, including choosing quality maize seeds from TARI as they have been researched with proven high yield potential.