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CL AME hosted a Science Summit webinar on sustainable pesticide management in AME to protect health, the environment, and productivity.

Did you know…

🍽️ Most African countries are net importers of food, with over 80% of basic foodstuffs coming from outside the continent.
🌱 African nations contribute less than 4% to the global climate crisis, yet they bear some of the harshest impacts.
📈 In 2024, more than 307 million Africans faced hunger — that’s over 20% of the continent’s population, according to the WHO.
🌍 By 2030, an estimated 512 million people could be chronically undernourished, with nearly 60% of them in Africa.

These sobering realities remind us that the challenge of feeding a growing population while protecting our environment is urgent and complex.

That’s why on Wednesday, 10 September, CropLife AME partnered with the Science Summit to host a webinar on the Sustainable Pesticide Management Framework (SPMF) — a framework designed to protect human health and the environment while boosting agricultural productivity.

We were privileged to hear from excellent speakers and local partners who shared real-life experiences from the ground. Their stories highlighted not just the scale of the challenge, but also the power of collaboration to drive solutions.

➡️ See pictures for highlights of how we are working together under the SPMF to build a more resilient, food-secure future for Africa.

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Categories News

Joint AU-IAPSC–CL AME Workshop on Strengthening IPR and e-Submission Systems

oint Workshop African Union Inter-African Phytosanitary Council (AU-IAPSC) and CropLife Africa Middle East on Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Protection and Establishing e-Submission Systems

📆16–18 September 2025,
📍Yaoundé, Cameroon

As Africa continues to strengthen its capacity to protect plant health, ensure safe agricultural trade, and safeguard the livelihoods of millions of farmers, our growers face serious challenges in managing pests such as fruit fly, fall armyworm, and cotton jassid.
Growers depend on pest control products; however counterfeit pesticides, inadequate regulatory systems, and limited digital infrastructure continue to undermine progress.
Intellectual Property Rights, alongside robust regulatory systems, play a central role in encouraging innovation, improving access to safe and effective pest control products, and building trust among farmers, researchers, and private sector partners.
IPR protection and the establishment of e-Submission systems is both timely and essential.
The digitalisation of our regulatory frameworks will not only enhance efficiency and transparency but will also help harmonize processes across Africa, enabling our farmers to compete fairly in both regional and international markets.

Author redone
Categories News

CL AME successfully completed the ESA Training of Trainers (ToT) on the Principles and Practices of Responsible Use of Pesticides in Lusaka, Zambia, September 2025

Lusaka, Zambia | 1–5 September 2025

Last week, we successfully completed the ESA Training of Trainers (ToT) on the Principles and Practices of Responsible Use of Pesticides in Lusaka. The 5-day program brought together trainers from across East, Southern, West, and North Africa, including regulators, industry representatives, national associations, and development organizations.

The training covered critical topics including:

🌱 Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
🛡️ Resistance Management
🔍 Label comprehension
🐝 Pollinator protection
♻️ Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
👩🏽🏫 Training and presentation skills

At CropLife Africa Middle East, we remain committed to knowledge sharing, building local capacity, and strengthening stewardship across the region. This ToT is part of our broader effort to empower regulators, industry, and associations with the skills to cascade safe use practices, improve compliance, and support sustainable agriculture.

It was a privilege to learn, share, and build stronger regional networks together. The journey continues as participants take these lessons home to train others and amplify impact across their countries and institutions.

👏 Congratulations to all participants and thank you for your energy and commitment!

Author redone
Categories Positions

Accelerating the Registration and Use of Biopesticides Crop Protection Products in the AME Region

Today, the Africa-Middle East region stands at a crossroads. It must confront the growing threats to food security posed by climate change, the rising pressures from pests and diseases, while also meeting the demands of a rapidly expanding population and enhancing its competitiveness in the global export market by producing food with fewer residues to satisfy the growing demand of conscious global consumers.
Compounding these challenges is the reality of the limited—and in many cases, dwindling—resources available to farmers. To navigate these complex issues, it is essential to equip farmers with tools that enable sustainable agricultural production: growing more food using fewer resources and minimising environmental impact. Biopesticides (BioPPPs) agents are one of the solutions that can deliver various benefits when effectively integrated into integrated pest management (IPM) programs. These are defined as pest management agents derived from natural sources, encompassing naturally occurring substances, beneficial organisms, and Biopesticide agents fall into four main categories with their unique
and novel modes of action, including:
1.Macrobials, including nature’s predators.
2.Microbials, which are based on microorganisms, including but not limited to bacteria, fungi, protozoans, viruses, and related.
3.Semiochemicals, such as pheromones and volatiles.
4.Biochemicals, including natural products, botanicals or plant extracts, peptides/proteins based substances, dsRNA, others
novel technologies.
They have complementary modes of action to conventional pesticides, which supports resistance management. When integrated with conventional pesticides, biopesticides synergistically enhance crop yields, extend application timings, and support effective resistance management strategies for farmers. They also contribute to reducing pesticide residues on crops, especially if applied closer to harvest, thereby improving consumer safety, and supporting the growth of export opportunities for local farmers, ultimately boosting rural incomes. Additionally, they present reduced environmental risks while remaining relatively safe to applicators. synthetic compounds either naturally occurring or synthesised, provided they are structurally similar and functionally identical to their naturally occurring
counterparts.

View the Op-Ed
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Categories Guidelines

Guidelines for Development of Regulatory Frameworks for Use of Drones in Pesticides Application in Africa Middle East

BACKGROUND

Worldwide, Uncrewed Aerial Spray Systems (UASS) have been used positively in health care, relief work, wildlife protection, the film industry, mining activities, security surveillance, and recently in revolutionalising agriculture.
Integrating UASS into modern agriculture has marked a significant shift, impacting crop farming practices. UASS, or Uncrewed Aerial Spray Systems, have become indispensable tools for precision agriculture. Their ability to capture highresolution imagery and collect real-time data has transformed how farmers monitor, manage, and optimise their crops.
From assessing crop health and detecting potential issues to precisely applying fertilisers and pesticides, UASS have ushered in an era of efficiency, sustainability, and data-driven decisionmaking in crop farming. UASS have a transformative influence on crop agriculture, unlocking new possibilities associated with better protection of the crops, cost-effectiveness, flexibility, reduced worker exposure, environmental conservation and overall agricultural sustainability.

View the Guidance Document
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