The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE, branded as icipe) is an international scientific research institute, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya that works towards improving lives and livelihoods of people in Africa.Icipe was founded in 1970 by a renowned Kenyan entomologist, Thomas Odhiambo, with strong encouragement from Carl Djerassi, a professor of Chemistry at Stanford University.Icipe is a member of Association of International Research and Development Centers for Agriculture (AIRCA).The center’s main objective is to research and develop alternative and environmentally friendly pest and vector management strategies that are effective, selective, non-polluting, non-resistance inducing, and which are affordable to resource-limited rural and urban communities. icipe's mandate extends to the conservation and use of the rich insect biodiversity found in Africa.Today, icipe is the only international center in sub-Saharan Africa working primarily on arthropods. icipe focuses on sustainable development using human health as the basis and the environment as the foundation for sustainability.Icipe works in a holistic and integrated approach through a 4-H paradigm — Human, Animal, Plant and Environmental Health — with the aim of improving the overall health of communities in tropical Africa by addressing the interlinked problems of poverty, poor health, low agricultural productivity and degradation of the environment..
ABSTRACT This study characterised polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)‐producing bacteria from the culture water of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) in biofloc ponds and investigated the influence of PHB on the growth and immune performance of GIFT. Out of 40 bacterial isolates, Bacillus infantis, Exiguobacterium profundum, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus hirae showed positive results for PHB against fluorescent stains. The PHB yield in the range of 5%–95.45% (w/w) was recorded, with the highest from K. pneumoniae (95.45% w/w). The experimental treatments included a basal diet as a control (C), a basal diet with PHB (5 g kg−1) from K. pneumoniae (T1) and a basal diet with PHB (5 g kg−1) from E. hirae (T2) for 60 days. Diet T1 had the best weight gain (131.2 ± 0.6), SGR (3.36 ± 0.33) and FCR (2.02 ± 0.24), with a significant difference between the control and PHB diets (p < 0.05). Diet T1 showed higher serum protein with improved myeloperoxidase, respiratory burst activity, catalase, superoxide dismutase and glucose levels. The relative percent survival (RPS) of the fish subjected to Aeromonas hydrophila (107 CFU/mL/fish) was highest in T1 (80.95%), with no significant difference between the treatments (p > 0.05). The results of this study confirm the presence of PHB‐producing bacteria in the biofloc system, providing a basis for increased PHB production for application in aquaculture and the positive effect of extracted PHB on the growth and immune response of GIFT.
Abstract Background Landscape features such as the Rift Valley (RV) can restrict gene flow in malaria vectors and influence resistance patterns. Here, we assessed Plasmodium infection rates, resistance alleles and profiles in Anopheles funestus s.s. populations across Kenyan malaria-endemic regions separated by the RV. Methods Anopheles funestus s.s. populations in western, coastal and Kerio Valley (KV, within the RV) were genotyped for key resistance markers using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). TaqMan assay combined with nested PCR were used to screen the samples for Plasmodium sporozoite infection and association with resistance alleles and genotype frequencies assessed using Fisher’s exact test or Pearson’s chi-square test. Following established WHO guidelines, phenotypic resistance using F1 progeny was also assessed using diagnostic, intensity and piperonyl butoxide (PBO)-synergistic assays. Results The 4.3kb-SV (n = 336) and G454A-Cyp9k1 (n = 445) alleles were nearly fixed in western Kenya but declined towards the RV and coast, whereas L119F-GSTe2 (n = 392) increased across a west-KV-coast gradient with a novel haplotype distinct from known African variants detected at the coast. There were lower odds of Plasmodium infection in mosquitoes with L119F-GSTe2-RR than RS genotype (OR 0.2, P = 0.046). Likewise, mosquitoes harboring the R allele of the 4.3 kb marker had higher Plasmodium infection rates than the S allele (OR 5.7, P = 0.049). An. funestus populations exhibited a high degree of pyrethroid resistance with intensity higher in KV compared to western Kenya, a traditional malaria hotspot. Pre-exposure to PBO increased mortality for type II (deltamethrin, alpha-cypermethrin), than I (permethrin) pyrethroids, yet mortality remained lower in KV, suggesting non-P450-mediated resistance. An. funestus mosquitoes from the coast showed extreme permethrin resistance (< 10% mortality at 10 × dose). Resistance to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane was widespread, while all populations remained fully susceptible to bendiocarb, pirimiphos-methyl, clothianidin, and chlorfenapyr. Conclusions Region-specific selection may drive varying resistance profiles in An. funestus across Kenyan malaria-endemic regions separated by the Rift Valley, with implications for malaria transmission and insecticide resistance management.
The sustainability of sugarcane growth in Kenya is also becoming endangered by the degradation of the soil in the agroecological zones (AEZ), which are dominated by Ferralsols, Nitisols, Acrisols, Cambisols, and Vertisols. Such soils are also limited by the fact that they have been depleted of their nutrients and are characterized by salt, soil erosion, and diminishing soil organic matter (SOM), which makes them very unproductive despite the large percentage composition by sugarcane in the gross domestic product of agriculture in Kenya. This review summarizes available evidence on the need to adopt soil fertility management measures in order to facilitate sugarcane production at AEZs. One hundred and twenty-six peer-reviewed articles published in 1990–2024 have been found in Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar and synthesized based on a conceptual systems-thinking approach, but not quantitative, by synthesizing the evidence of field experiments, meta-analyses, and location-specific interventions. The synthesis implies that the soil fertility limitations are spatially dispersed, and the imbalances of nutrients are linked to long-term use of inorganic fertilizers, advanced erosion of highlands (e.g., Kakamega Highlands), and salinity pressure in lowlands (e.g., Kwale), which represent the necessity of site-based approaches to the management. There has always been evidence that integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), consisting of a combination of balanced mineral fertilization, organic amendments (compost and insect-based frass), crop residue retention, and agroforestry, increases the sugarcane yields, SOM stocks, microbial activity, and nutrient-use efficiency. Adoption is, however, still limited due to socioeconomic reasons such as low supply of inputs and poor extension services. The potential recommendations that may be emerging in this review are: intensifying services of soil tests at the county levels, coming up with AEZ-specific fertilizer recommendations, encouraging the use of organic amendments, and improving research-industry collaboration to sustainably produce sugarcane in Kenya.
Financial contributions from farmers are increasingly acknowledged as a sustainable mechanism for funding extension services. However, the literature on willingness to pay (WTP) for digital agricultural extension is limited. Conducting a thorough assessment of WTP for digital extension is critical for designing effective pricing policies and ensuring financial sustainability. This study examines the WTP for a novel digital extension platform named farmbetter, leveraging primary data collected in Tanzania and Burkina Faso. The Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) experiment was used to elicit the amount farmers are willing to pay. We applied the Lasso machine learning to predict the relevant drivers of WTP and used the cross-fit partialing-out method to estimate their marginal effects. We found that half of the sampled farmers are willing to pay less than USD 2.4 monthly for farmbetter services, closely aligning with the threshold required for farmbetter Ltd's financial sustainability under a Business to Consumer (B2C) model. Farmers in Burkina Faso are willing to pay more than those in Tanzania. The key drivers of WTP include socio-economic characteristics, institutional variables, exposure to farm-related stress, digital literacy, smartphone access, and usage of digital tools.
Insect pest management strategies are increasingly shifting towards sustainable and eco-friendly methods, with biological control gaining significant attention. This shift is driven by growing concerns over the negative impacts of chemical pesticides on human health, non-target organisms, and the environment, as well as increasing reports of pest resistance. The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a major transboundary pest that became globally significant after spreading from its native Americas. While chemical pesticides have been widely used to control this pest, biological control through natural enemies such as parasitoids, predators, and entomopathogens offers a more sustainable solution by promoting ecological balance and reducing the risks of pesticide resistance. This approach regulates S. frugiperda populations by targeting various life stages and disrupting their development, feeding behaviours, and reproductive capabilities. A comprehensive analysis of the existing literature showed that parasitoids from the Hymenopteran family Braconidae were the most commonly reported on S. frugiperda. This was followed by parasitoids from the Diptera family Tachinidae and the Hymenopteran family Ichneumonidae. Among predators, coleopterans from the family Coccinellidae were the most commonly reported. Among entomopathogens, common pathogens reported on S. frugiperda include fungi from the Zygomycetes and Hyphomycetes groups, nematodes from the Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae families, viruses from the Baculoviridae family, and bacteria such as Bacillus thuringiensis. Identifying the most potent biological control agents offers opportunities to design effective and sustainable pest management strategies. This paper systematically reviewed the natural enemies of S. frugiperda with the aim of facilitating the development and adoption of biocontrol strategies to mitigate the adverse impacts of this pest on agricultural productivity. Moreover, challenges associated with implementing this approach are discussed, along with future directions for the successful integration of biological control options in sustainable S. frugiperda management.
