Insect resistance management facing African smallholder farmers under climate change

Changes in climatic conditions affect pest populations and ultimately result in increased pest status and yield losses. While pesticide application is usually the first defensive tool used to control pest species that threaten crop production, genetically modified (GM) crops with insecticidal traits (Bt crops) are becoming more common. The indiscriminate and over use of insecticides, and absence of insect resistance management (IRM) strategies ultimately lead to evolution of resistance against these technologies. IRM faces significant challenges in the African context. In this paper we use examples of cotton, maize, cowpea and tomato pests to illustrate their potential to evolve resistance to insecticides and also highlight the importance of IRM strategies, both with regard to the use of pesticides and the cultivation of Bt cotton, Bt maize and Bt cowpea.