UniSC FRI/FIRC, Ethiopian and South African researchers are collaborating on a new Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) funded project to tackle emerging pests and diseases threatening three tree crops that are beneficial economically, environmentally and for human health in Ethiopia.

In Ethiopia, there is little knowledge about the identity, occurrence, and damage caused by insect pests and diseases to tree crops, making it difficult to formulate management responses. For instance, acacia is a fast-growing tree crop which contributes significantly to Ethiopian livelihoods. Local smallholder farmers use the tree as forage for livestock and for timber to generate short-term economic benefits by selling charcoal and fuelwood. Due to its profitability and importance, farmers have given it the name ‘Black gold’ or Black sesame. Farmers have been incorporating the species into their farming rotations since the 90s and has become a critical component of the productive landscape. However, reports from local growers in late 2022 indicated a sharp increase in insect pests and a serious fungal pathogen that almost decimated the entire acacia-dependent value chain (from growers to truck drivers who transport timber and charcoal) in Ethiopia, and its productivity is now under threat.

In response, a team led by the FRI/FIRC (funded by ACIAR) was tasked with identifying the damaging agent(s) and exploring ways to protect the remaining Acacia resource. This led to the first report of the exotic wattle rust, Uromycladium acaciae, from Ethiopia. Based on this information a series of surveys and trials were conducted to determine the extent of the damage and to investigate management options against the rust, including the early identification of tolerant germplasm. What was clear to the team was a need to not only develop and implement sustainable, cost-effective, management options for pests and diseases of acacia but to include other key Ethiopian tree crops- eucalypts (used for a number of purposes) and moringa (used as a staple vegetable in some parts of Ethiopia) -in this research.

In this new project, the primary objective is to strengthen and sustain livelihoods and forest enterprises in Ethiopia by reducing the impacts of pests and diseases through improved Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of these key tree crops. This includes focusing on on-farm tree diversification to reduce the impact of reliance on a single tree species. The key impact of this 5-year project led by UniSC will be sustainable success in tree-growing through the establishment of IPM and improved silvicultural practices for growers of acacia, eucalypts and moringa. This will safeguard livelihoods and food security from the impact of crop loss.

Through the ACIAR funding, the FRI/FIRC team is implementing the project in partnership with the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) of the University of Pretoria, the Institute for Commercial Forestry Research (ICFR) and the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF).