International Symposium on Plant Protection in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is probably the region of the world where the problem of plant protection against pests (disease-causing pathogens, insect pests, nematodes etc.) is most acute. Globally, yield losses caused by pests on major crops have been estimated at between 17 and 30%, but affect SSA even more severely (Savary et al, 2019, Nature Ecology and Evolution). In addition to native pest species, the African continent is suffering from the invasion of exotic species that can be much more devastating than native species. The most recent examples are fruit flies, the fall armyworm, the South American tomato leaf miner, and the phytoviruses responsible for maize lethal necrosis and cassava brown streak. It is increasingly recognised that the action of these pests is exacerbated by climate change. Indeed, climate change can alter the behaviour and distribution of pests with significant negative consequences for agricultural production. Thus, pest damage in Africa is taking place in a particularly worrying context of food production shortfalls, population growth and global climate change, in which the emergence or re-emergence of pests and diseases could lead to humanitarian disasters.

With this in mind, the Committee on Developing Countries (COPED) of the French Academy of Sciences organised a miniforum from 13 to 14 December 2018 in Paris to initiate a review of scientific research knowledge in the field of plant protection in Africa (http://www.academie-sciences.fr/fr/COPED/protection-des-vegetaux-en afrique-subsaharienne.html). The Paris mini-forum brought together 16 participants from France (Académie des Sciences, IRD, SupAgro, CIRAD and IPS2, Orsay, Académie d’Agriculture) and West Africa (Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Mali). The discussions underlined the importance of the topic and justified the organisation of an international symposium, for which the theme chosen is "Plant protection issues in Africa in a context of climate change". Moreover, the organisation of this symposium is part of the International Year of Plant Health, which is a UN initiative for 2020 (http://www.fao.org/plant-health 2020/home/fr/).