A Primer on Planting and Managing 'Push‑Pull' Fields for Stemborer ...

‘Push-pull’ is a ‘platform technology’ around which otheragricultural innovations can develop to bring about anoverall improvement in the farming systems and livelihoods.It simultaneously reduces crop losses; improves productivity,household nutrition and incomes; it enables increasedproduction of livestock fodder; addresses soil fertilityconstraints and enables a minimum tillage system.The technology has been disseminated through differentpathways to enable as many farmers as possible learn aboutit, including print media, radio, farmer teachers, drama, fielddays and farmer field schools. Practical guides such as thishandbook, a flyer on how to plant and manage a ‘Push-pull’field, and the ‘push-pull’ farmer field school curriculum havealso been published.This handbook is published to guide farmers and frontlineextension staff on how to establish and manage a ‘push-pull’plot to control stemborer and striga weed. It is expected thatthese will enhance adoption of the technology and increasemaize and livestock productivity while improving soil fertilityand conserving the environment.ICIPE and the authors of this handbook gratefully acknowledgethe financial support from various donors – the Kilimo Trust,Uganda; Gatsby Charitable Foundation, UK; and Biovision,Switzerland – that have enabled us to develop and catalyzethe dissemination of the ‘push-pull’ technology in easternAfrica.Prof. Christian BorgemeisterDirector GeneralInternational Centre of Insect Physiology and EcologyNairobi, Kenyavii