Economic assessment of factors influencing the magnitude of losses due to fall armyworm: The case of maize infestation

Maize (Zea mays) is a principal staple crop in Kenya, largely grown under rain-fed agriculture. Its production has been coupled with numerous constraints both biotic and biotic, where the twin vagaries of climate change and poor prices have continued to affect maize production and the livelihood of farmers. Invasive alien species have emerged as a constraint, the most recent in Kenya being fall armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda) infestation, which if not effectively managed, can result in total crop failure. As a result, fall armyworm has further exacerbated the yield gap, which is detrimental to farmers’ livelihoods. Most previous studies on invasive alien species hampering agricultural production have been studied regionally thus masking the specific impacts on rural communities’ livelihoods. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to estimate the magnitude of economic losses due to FAW and to model the drivers influencing the magnitude of economic losses in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya. Multistage and systematic random sampling procedures were used to select 257 maize farmers. Results indicate that the average yield loss due to FAW infestation at farm level ranged between 0.18 to 2.7 T per acre. The results further showed that FAW related maize losses increase with the area under maize cultivation and increased household size while access to extension and distance to the market were associated with lower losses