Push–pull agricultural pest management

**Push-Pull Agricultural Pest Management Technology**
– Developed at ICIPE in Kenya in collaboration with Rothamsted Research
– Utilizes behavior-modifying stimuli to manage stemborer pests
– Based on chemical ecology, agrobiodiversity, and plant-insect interactions
– Involves intercropping cereal crops with repellent plants like Desmodium
– Uses trap plants like Napier grass to attract and trap pests

**Components of Push-Pull Technology**
– The Push: Emits volatile chemicals to repel stemborer moths
– Common push plants include Desmodium species
– Desmodium controls parasitic weed Striga through allelopathy
– The Pull: Companion grasses attract and trap stemborers
– Grasses like Napier grass produce attractive volatile compounds
– Sticky sap from grasses traps and kills stemborer larvae

**Benefits and Impacts of Push-Pull Agriculture**
– Economic Benefits:
– Higher return on investment compared to pesticide use and monocropping
– Boosts local economies by increasing farmers’ income
– Suppression of Striga:
– Desmodium suppresses Striga growth through allelopathy
– Enhances soil quality by increasing organic matter and nitrogen content

**Acceptance and Adoption of Push-Pull Agriculture**
– Cultural Acceptance:
– Developed outside Sub-Saharan Africa
– Efforts in Ethiopia for farmer engagement
– Fits within existing family frameworks
– History and Funding:
– Developed at ICIPE in the 1990s with funding from various partners

**Future Prospects and Research Findings**
– Future Prospects:
– Based on locally available plants
– Expected popular solution to food insecurity
– Research Papers and Studies:
– Perennial legume intercrops provide multiple ecosystem services
– Push-pull technology improves carbon stocks in smallholder agriculture
– Push-pull innovation aims to achieve food security for sub-Saharan African poor