By: Gloria Anderson
Journalists attending the IFAJ World Congress of Agricultural Journalists have hailed the groundbreaking work of scientists at the CABI Research Centre in Nairobi, credited with saving Kenya’s papaya crop from near extinction.
The congress officially opened with a field and laboratory tour of the CABI-KALRO Center, where pioneering biological control work has transformed papaya farming across the country.
In 2016, Kenya’s papaya industry, then ranked the fourth most important fruit crop was on the brink of collapse. The papaya mealy bug, a tiny but highly destructive pest, had infested thousands of farms, feeding on leaves, stems, and fruits. Farmers watched helplessly as their once-lush trees withered and yields vanished.
Stories were told of how heartbreaking it was,” where farmers had no option but to cut down papaya trees. Journalists were told that farmers felt like the end of papaya farming in Kenya.”
The desperate situation triggered a call for help that reached CABI, which, through a multi-agency collaboration with KALRO, KEPHIS, and the National Museums of Kenya, launched an innovative biological control programme. Their mission: to find a natural way to stop the pest using the pest itself. So with help from Ghana, a solution was found.
During the tour, journalists were guided through CABI’s state-of-the-art laboratories, where scientists demonstrated the delicate process of rearing mealy bugs and their natural enemies.
In the first lab, researchers showed how potatoes are carefully selected, cleaned, and prepared for use in mass rearing. Stored in controlled dark rooms, the potatoes serve as breeding surfaces for mealy bugs, providing the perfect environment for research and parasite cultivation.
In another section, journalists observed the “mummies” mealy bugs that have been parasitized by a wasp, which develops and pupates inside them. These mummies are gently collected with brushes, attached to small cards, and distributed to farmers. Once stapled under papaya leaves, the tiny wasps emerge and hunt live mealy bugs, stopping the infestation naturally.
The demonstration left many journalists deeply impressed.
“This recovery is nothing short of remarkable,” said a Nigerian journalist seeing for the first time the process and its results. “Trees that once stood bare and lifeless are now bursting with green leaves and heavy fruits. Farmers are regaining their confidence and their livelihoods.”
However, he lamented that the success story has not received the global recognition it deserves.
“Scientists are doing incredible work here. The world needs to know more about it,” he urged.
A Kenyan journalist shared similar sentiments, commending the scientists and partners for their collaborative approach.
“This is a perfect example of science working hand in hand with local communities,” she said. “The partnership between CABI, KALRO, KEPHIS, and the National Museums of Kenya has turned research into real, visible results on the ground.”
As part of the IFAJ World Congress, more field trips have been organized to give journalists a firsthand look at how science is changing lives in rural communities.
The story of Kenya’s papaya revival stands as a beacon of hope, a reminder that with innovation, collaboration, and communication, even the smallest of creatures can be turned from destroyers into defenders of livelihoods.
GBC’s Gloria Anderson attended the IFAJ World Congress with sponsorship support from OFAB (Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa) a project of AATF
