Background Invasive alien species (IAS) cause significant economic losses in all parts of the world. Although IAS are widespread in Africa and cause serious negative impacts on livelihoods as a result of yield losses and increased labour costs associated with IAS management, few data on the impacts are available in the literature and the magnitude and extent of the costs are largely unknown. We estimated the cost of IAS to agriculture, the most important economic sector in Africa. Methods Data on the monetary costs of IAS to mainland Africa as well as information about the presence and abundance of the most important IAS were collected through literature review and an online survey among a wide variety of stakeholders. Using this and additional data from publicly available sources we estimated yield losses and management costs due to IAS in agriculture for individual countries and the entire continent. Where the data allowed, the costs for selected IAS or crops were estimated separately. The estimates were extrapolated using production and distribution data and/or matching of agro-ecological zones. Results The total estimated annual cost of IAS to agriculture in Africa is USD 3.66 Tn. Yield losses, reductions in livestock derived income and IAS management costs, mainly labour costs, constitute the majority of the estimated cost (ca. 1, < 1 and 99 percent, respectively). The IAS causing the highest yield losses were Phthorimaea absoluta (USD 11.4 Bn) and Spodoptera frugiperda (USD 9.4 Bn). Conclusions This study reveals the extent and scale of the economic impacts of IAS in the agricultural sector in one of the least studied continents. Although the cost estimate presented here is significant, IAS also cause major costs to other sectors which could not be assessed due to data deficit. The results highlight the need for pre-emptive management options, such as prevention and early detection and rapid response to reduce huge potential future costs, as well as measures that contribute to large-scale control of widely established IAS at little cost to farmers and other affected land users, to reduce losses and improve livelihoods.

In a country of about 200million people, the government has over the years constituted various initiatives to address the issue of unemployment, food security, and youth involvement in agriculture. However, the impact of these initiatives has been minimal due to the inconsistency in government policies, changes in government, inadequate implementation mechanism amongst others. This study, therefore, evaluated the impact of the N-power Agro Program on youth employment and income generation through agribusiness in Nigeria. Six hundred and forty-five respondents were randomly selected from the database of N-Power. Structured questionnaires were used in obtaining the data. The statistical analysis of collected data applied descriptive methods, logistic regression model, and regression discontinuity design. The value of ATE of the regression discontinuity design of the income of the participants of N-Power Agro is greater by N30,191.46 than for the nonparticipants. The result of the logistic regression model shows that age, level of education, years of agribusiness experience, and employment status significantly influenced the choice of creating employment through agribusiness and of participating in the N-Power Agro program. The impact of the N-Power Agro program for Nigeria’s young men and women on employment and income generation for participants was shown to be effective and positive with the RDD recording an increase in the beneficiaries’ income and a discontinuity in the design. Upscaling this program and wider implementation in other countries in collaborations with youth, rural communities and private sectors will ensure that the government can bridge the skills deficit in Africa’s youth, develop their capacities for entrepreneurship, and hence, increase jobs creation.

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Rapid changes in climate and urban growth, changing demographics and heterogeneity of urban lifestyles are resulting in a shift in food consumption patterns, with a preference for foods with minimal processing time, quality and taste in Nigeria; but does there exist any relationship between food consumption pattern and reported illnesses among households? For better understanding, this study uses cross-sectional primary data, to thus, examine the relationship between food consumption patterns and the reported illnesses among households in Nigeria. Using a multistage sampling procedure, 250 households in two different local government areas were randomly selected. The study revealed that male household head consumed more plant-based whole food (0.6064) and therefore reported a lower incidence of illnesses (2.18) as compared to the female head whose consumption is lower (0.5644) with higher reported illnesses (3.13). The study further revealed that household members (41-50 years) are most aware of a plant-based whole food (54.17%) with lower reported illness (2.18), whereas members (61-80 years) have the highest reported illness (2.62) because they are the least aware (0.6189). Results also showed that people in the urban areas are prone to more sickness (2.04) than rural areas (1.79) because they are exposed to more choices of processed foods as compared to fresh farm foods available in the rural areas. Households' consumption patterns were influenced by household head sex, income, location, level of awareness of plant-based whole food, and total food expenditure. Therefore, while the existence of rural-urban food linkages will ensure wider households' access to quality whole foods needed to reduce reported illnesses; increasing households' income will enhance diet diversity and reduction in Nigeria's food insecurity. Also, more attention should be given to educating the people especially through media channels on the benefits of consuming plant-based whole food.

Using qualitative methods, this study assessed the stakeholders and management processes involved in locust outbreaks in China, including factors influencing the use of biopesticides. Study findings show that China has an integrated national locust response protocol, which involves various institutions from all administrative levels of the government. The process is inherently highly complex but efficient, with multisectoral agencies working closely together to prevent and/or manage locust outbreaks. In addition, the process has been successful in combating recent outbreaks, due to dedicated government funding, decisive administrative and technical actions, and the empowerment of local government administration. This is the case with the county level acting as a ‘first-responder’ that is capacitated financially and technically to respond to a locust invasion in their jurisdiction. Additionally, study findings show that despite the availability of biopesticides in local markets, their use is dampened by inadequate information about market availability, negative perceptions by decision makers about their efficacy, and concerns about their costs, as well as limited knowledge of their application techniques. Actions are therefore needed by relevant authorities to enhance stakeholder awareness of biopesticide market availability, efficacy, and field application processes. Future areas of research should focus on modelling the expected impact and cost effectiveness of chemicals vs. biopesticides, thus increasing the evidence base for promoting biopesticide use.

Estimates of the economic impact of invasive non-native species (INNS) are important to support informed decision-making and prioritise resources. A detailed estimate of the direct costs of INNS to Great Britain, covering many sectors of the economy and the impacts of many INNS in diverse habitats, was made in 2010 and extended to Northern Ireland in 2013. These estimates are increasingly out of date as a result of changes in distribution and impacts of species, new knowledge, changes in management and newly established INNS. We, therefore, updated the estimated costs for the United Kingdom (UK) for sectors where new information was available and applied an inflation factor to the remaining sectors and species. The results show changes in all sectors and species and the new estimated annual costs to the UK economy is £4014 m, with £3022 m, £499 m, £343 m and £150 m to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively. Overall, we found a 45% increase in comparable costs since 2010, with most estimated costs increased, often more than inflation, although in some cases the costs have decreased as a result of changes in the population size of INNS, such as was the case for rabbits. A comparison with the previously estimated costs revealed that the costliest species and sectors of 2010 remain the same, but the newly established, widely distributed and highly impactful ash dieback is now one of the most costly diseases caused by an INNS. We discuss reasons for these changes and the evolution of costs in comparison to other studies. Overall, these results confirm the enormous cost of INNS to the UK economy and highlight the need for continued efforts to mitigate the impacts of established INNS, whilst also supporting measures to limit the entry and establishment of new, potentially harmful non-native species.

BackgroundIn Kenya, rice (Oryza sativa L.) is mainly produced under irrigation by small‐scale farmers. Mwea irrigation scheme (MIS) in Kirinyaga County accounts for 80–88% of rice production. Here, rice is the main source of livelihood and a source of revenue generation for the county. However, a recently established invasive freshwater snail, Pomacea canaliculata (Lamarck) (family: Ampullariidae), a species of apple snail, presents a serious threat to rice production.ResultsHousehold surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews highlight apple snail as a serious problem in MIS. Households that observed at least a moderate level of infestation (>20% of cultivated area) experienced significant reductions in rice yield (~14%) and net rice income (~60%). Farmers reported increased use of chemical pesticides for management of apple snail. In addition, the cost of hired labor for physical removal of egg masses and snails is resulting in substantial negative effects on net income. Farmer age, area of land owned, responsibility for decision‐making, receipt of extension advice, training, and membership of a farmer organization, were all statistically significant variables to explain farmers awareness of the need for area‐wide apple snail management.ConclusionStrategies to limit the spread of apple snail are urgently needed. A Multi‐Institutional Technical Team (MITT) has been established to spearhead management efforts and consolidate advice to farmers on how to manage apple snail. However, without action to mitigate spread, the consequences could be disastrous for rice production and food security in Kenya, and for other rice growing regions across Africa. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.