Staff directory
Marc De Meyer
Invertebrates
AGROVEG
AGROVEG, "Agroecological methodology in VEGetable crops", is a five-year project financed by the multiannual programme 2019 – 2023 of the RMCA-DGD (Royal Museum for Central Africa - Directorate-general Development Cooperation) framework agreement. Horticultural crops can provide sustainable income and food security for African farmers. However, their production is hampered by the presence of several pests, among which tephritid fruit flies are a major concern. Pest control is currently done by indiscriminate, expensive and often inefficient use of pesticides, having a negative impact on the farmers’ health and on their environment. AGROVEG proposes the development of an environmental friendly methodology, along agroecological principles, to mitigate the impact of fruit flies on vegetables that such as cucurbits and solanaceous crops. The agroecological approach aims at strongly reducing the impact of control methods on the ecosystem while having a positive effect on beneficial organisms such as pollinators. Through the project the local partners will strengthen their research units and further enhance their expertise with regard to fruit fly pests and their control.
Principal investigator:
Dates:
2019 2023Museum staff:
External collaborators:
Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Department of Crop Science and Horticulture - Morogoro, TanzaniaEduardo Mondlane University (EMU), Faculty of Agronomy and Forest Engineering - Maputo, Mozambique