The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) is immensely proud of the ‘push–pull’ programme’s achievements. During the past 15 years, push–pull has become a true platform technology that addresses the most critical constraints for poor cereal farmers simultaneously, i.e. poor soils and correspondingly low yields, high pest pressure, and the parasitic weed Striga hermonthica. Push–pull is a science-based technology that focuses specifically on the problems facing smallholder and subsistence farmers. Because of its holistic approach it has enabled over 40,000 farmers to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. This scale of impact means that it is having a dramatic effect on entire rural communities and economies.
I learned about the push–pull programme, led by Dr Zeyaur Khan, before joining icipe in 2005 and actually used it as an example for a highly successful, holistic and scientifically cutting-edge approach to agricultural improvements in Africa in several of the graduate courses I taught at Leibniz University Hannover (Germany). One of the first field excursions I did after joining icipe was visiting push–pull farmers in the Vihiga and Siaya districts of Western Kenya together with Dr. Khan. What struck me most was the sense of ownership I got from the discussions with the farmers. They were clearly very proud of their push–pull fields, and saw it as their own technology. Moreover, the superiority of their fields
compared with those of their neighbours was stunning. Many of the farmers told me that with push–pull their maize harvest had increased three- to five-fold, figures that were subsequently corroborated by several independent impact assessments.
Authors: icipe team
Contact address: http://www.icipe.org/
Institution: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology
Twitter name of the institution: @icipe
Twitter link: https://x.com/icipe
Available downloads:
Planting for Prosperity Push–Pull: a model for Africa’s green revolution
