View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE RESEARCH provided by CGSpace PROGRAM ON Water, Land and Nile Ecosystems Integrated termite management for improved rainwater management: A synthesis of selected African experiences Nile BDC Technical ReportReport–9 –3 Integrated termite management for improved rainwater management: A synthesis of selected African experiences 1 2 2 3 3 Swidiq Mugerwa, Denis Mpairwe, * Emmanuel Zziwa, Kees Swaans and Don Peden 1. National Livestock Resources Research Institute, Uganda and Mitran Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institute of Desert Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel 2. Department of Agricultural Production, Makerere University, Uganda 3. International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia * Corresponding author: [email protected] This Research Into Use (RIU) project is a collaboration between the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Makerere University, Wollega University, and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). The RIU program of the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) is financially supported by the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems. © 2014 International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) This publication is copyrighted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). It is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported Licence. To view this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/. 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The parts used must not misrepresent the meaning of the publication. ILRI would appreciate being sent a copy of any materials in which text, photos etc. have been used. ISBN: 92–9146–346–9 Cover picture: ILRI/Gerba Leta Editing, design and layout—ILRI Editorial and Publishing Services, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Citation: Mugerwa, S., Mpairwe, D., Zziwa, E., Swaans, K., and Peden, D. 2014. Integrated termite management for improved rainwater management: A synthesis of selected African experiences. NBDC Technical Report 9. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................................... i 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Community structure of subterranean termites in African ecosystems .......................................... 4 3. Pest status of subterranean termites in African agricultural production systems ......................... 6 4. Farmers’ ethno-ecological knowledge of subterranean termites in African agricultural production systems .................................................................................................................................................... 8 4.1. Farmers’ knowledge of termite taxonomy ....................................................................................... 8 4.2 Farmers’ knowledge of termite abundance and distribution ........................................................ 8 4.3 Farmers’ perceptions of termites as pests........................................................................................ 9 4.4 Farmers’ perception of susceptibility of plants to termites ........................................................ 10 4.5 Farmers’ knowledge of factors escalating termite damage in African agricultural production systems ........................................................................................................................................... 11 5. Common termite management practices in African agricultural production systems ............... 12 5.1 Destruction of termitaria (mounds) and the colony ..................................................................... 12 5.2 Use of live plants, dead plant materials and plant extracts ......................................................... 13 5.3 Use of animal excreta .......................................................................................................................... 14 5.4 Application of wood ash ..................................................................................................................... 14 5.5 Protein- or sugar-based products ..................................................................................................... 14 5.6 Biological control of termites ............................................................................................................ 15 6. Suggested integrated and sustainable termite management approaches in African agricultural production systems .................................................................................................................................................. 17 References .................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Annex 1: Relevant literature not referenced in the main text ...................................................................... 25 i Abstract In eastern Africa, termites are perceived by farmers, livestock keepers, and many development agencies as serious agricultural pests that destroy pasture, crops and wooden infrastructure. Commonly use control measures have proven to be ineffective. When the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) undertook research aimed at increasing agricultural water productivity in eastern Africa, termites destroyed early experiments designed to rehabilitate degraded land and increase water productivity. Building on indigenous knowledge from termite affected regions of Ethiopia, the CPWF and Uganda partners initiated research on integrated termite management. Results were promising. This literature review was commissioned to capture the state-of-knowledge about termite taxonomy, and diversity, farmers’ ethno-ecological knowledge of subterranean termites and termite management practices and control measures used in African crop and rangeland production systems. The paper offers some general lessons and guidelines for future agricultural research and development programs where termite damage is problematic. In brief, we conclude that ITM offers greater prospects for enabling termites to play important positive roles in agro-ecosystem functioning while reducing the damage they inflict on crop and livestock production. Key words: Termite, diversity, ethno-ecological knowledge, management 1 1. Introduction Recent advances in understanding Africa’s challenge of supplying adequate agricultural water to meet the continent’s demand for food call for a shift in emphasis from irrigation development to improved management of rainfed production systems (Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture 2007). This implies acknowledgement that precipitation rather than blue water is the ultimate natural water resource to be managed. Highly desertified or degraded croplands and rangelands are symptomatic of areas with low water productivity that typically result in lost food production, natural biodiversity, and jeopardized livelihoods. There are many approaches to increasing agricultural water productivity in rainfed agriculture (Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture 2007; Peden et al. 2009). One of these identified by the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) is integrated termite management (ITM). In summary, degraded rangelands with little or no vegetative ground cover fail to capture and utilize available rainfall. The lack of associated litter and soil organic matter, a preferred food source for indigenous termites, compels them to feed on pasture grasses, crops, and woody material (Mugerwa 2007). Restoring the natural feed sources for termites affords an opportunity to revegetate landscapes and increase both agricultural production and biodiversity. The purpose of this literature review is to synthesize salient knowledge about the ecology and management of termites, especially those that are economically damaging to agricultural systems and related livelihoods and to recommend essential diagnostics and steps needed for widespread adoption of ITM. Devastation of rangeland vegetation involving subterranean termites is a major constraint to animal production and functionality in several arid and semi-arid ecosystems. In the rangelands of Uganda for example, termites can consume over 60% of the available herbaceous (grasses