A new study has raised alarm about the invasive apple snail, which is a growing menace to rice production in Kenya and beyond.
The study published in the journal Pest Management Science, revealed the serious implications of the snail’s spread, warning that it could devastate rice crops and threaten food security in key agricultural regions across Africa.
Researchers noted that as the threat looms larger, the need for proactive measures becomes increasingly critical.
The research led by Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International and the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service, noted that the invasive apple snail could spread to Tana River, western Kenya and coastal areas of Kenya.
This is as well as other countries including Malawi, Madagascar, Uganda, Mozambique, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
CABI project scientist Kate Constantine said the snail is a serious problem for farmers in Mwea Irrigation Scheme.
In Kenya, the invasive snail was first reported in 2020 in Mwea, where over 80 per cent of the scheme is now infested.
According to CABI, household surveys and focus group discussions with smallholder farmers, alongside key informant interviews, revealed the invasive species, which is native to South America, reduced rice yields by up to 14 per cent and net rice income by up to 60 per cent for farmers experiencing moderate levels of infestation.
Data from the Ministry of Agriculture shows that around 300,000 small-scale farmers are involved in rice cultivation, not only providing labour, but also earning their livelihood.
Mwea Irrigation Scheme in Kirinyaga county accounts for 80-88 per cent of the country’s rice production, and that rice consumption will reach 1,292,000 tonnes by 2030.
The ministry further pointed out that rice is the third most important crop in Kenya after maize and wheat, and its consumption is increasing at a faster rate than production.
Rice plays a critical role in increasing household food security and increasing farmers’ incomes.
It is mainly produced under irrigation with production expected to increase with the construction of Thiba dam in Mwea.
Constantine said rice production has seen consistent growth in demand over the last three decades, with its potential to improve rural livelihoods widely recognised.
“However, rice farmers in Mwea face various challenges, including water shortages, rice blast attacks, high input costs, low land productivity, machinery shortages, bird damage, poor infrastructure and a lack of resilient and acceptable rice varieties,” she said.
“The recent introduction of apple snail has added to these challenges, posing a serious threat to rice production in the region and potentially across Africa.”
The researchers noted that previous studies have indicated the pest can reduce yields by as much as 50 per cent with economic impacts running into millions of dollars.
Fernadis Makale, lead researcher of the study published in CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, said the snail is among the world’s worst invasive species, its impacts have been documented in various parts of the world.
“Knowledge of the boundary of invasion is important in appropriate resource allocation in the surveillance and management of the pest,” he said.
Experts from the Ministry of Agriculture said the snails mainly damage direct wet-seeded rice and transplanted rice up to 30-days-old.
The researchers noted that strict quarantine measures should be instituted and implemented to curb not just the spread of the pest in Kenya, but into un-invaded regions.
They noted that farmers have
relied on cultural, physical and
on a desperate scale, a trial-error
approach, of using chemical
pesticides.