Evergreen CIG

# worldEnvironmentDay2026

Today, as we commemorate World Environment Day 2026, I find myself reflecting on a reality that agriculture teaches us every day: the environment is not separate from our livelihoods. It is the foundation of them.

When rainfall patterns change, farmers notice. When pollinators decline, yields suffer. When soils degrade, food production becomes more difficult. Climate change is not merely an environmental discussion; it is increasingly an agricultural, economic, and social reality.

This year's observance places climate action at the center of global attention. Yet meaningful climate action does not begin only in international conferences or government policies. It begins in our farms, our communities, our schools, our cooperatives, and in the everyday decisions that shape how we use and manage natural resources.

our work in agriculture, environmental education, farmer training, youth engagement, and community development has consistently shown us that resilient communities are built on healthy ecosystems. Food security depends on environmental stewardship. Sustainable livelihoods depend on sustainable landscapes.

At EverGreen Media, our commitment is to tell the stories that connect agriculture, science, environment, and development. Not simply to report events, but to deepen understanding and inspire informed action.

Because when we protect the environment, we are also protecting food systems, livelihoods, and the future of generations yet to come.

The climate is speaking.

Agriculture must respond.

Today, we observe World Biodiversity Day under the theme: "Acting locally for global impact."

For many people, biodiversity is simply about wildlife, forests, or endangered species. But in the work I am involved in, biodiversity is much closer to us than we often realize. It is in the crops on our farms, the insects that pollinate them, the soil organisms that maintain fertility, the rivers that sustain communities, and the ecosystems that quietly support our livelihoods every day.

As someone involved in agriculture, environmental sustainability, training, and community development, I have come to realize that protecting biodiversity is not always about large international actions. Sometimes it begins with teaching a farmer a better practice, helping young people understand agriculture differently, encouraging sustainable production systems, promoting peace within communities, or sharing knowledge that changes how people see their relationship with nature.

Small actions can appear insignificant, but they create ripples. Every informed farmer, every resilient farming system, every young mind inspired, and every community strengthened becomes part of something much larger than itself.

Global impact rarely starts globally.

It starts locally.

It starts with us.

Employment Opportunities for College Graduates in Food, Agriculture, Renewable Natural Resources, and the Environment; 2025-2030 Employment Opportunities for College Graduates in Food, Agriculture, Renewable Natural Resources and the Environment United States, 2025-2030 Preface This report continues a series of reports on employment opportunities for college graduates in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and

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Mbakwa Phosphate Academy

🌿 HOW TO IDENTIFY PLANT DISEASES AND CHOOSE THE RIGHT TREATMENT

Many farmers treat diseases like pests and end up spraying the wrong product. But diseases are different. You must first identify the cause: fungus, bacteria, virus, or physiological stress before deciding any treatment.

1. OBSERVE THE FIELD CAREFULLY
Look beyond one plant:
Is the problem spreading fast or slow?
Is it uniform or in patches?
Are young or old leaves affected first?

2. READ THE SYMPTOMS

Fungal diseases
Spots on leaves (brown, black, yellow rings)
Powdery or mold growth
Leaf drying and defoliation ➡️ Example: leaf spot, powdery mildew, blight

Bacterial diseases
Water-soaked lesions
Oozing or sticky liquid
Rapid rotting and foul smell ➡️ Example: bacterial wilt, soft rot

Viral diseases
Leaf curling, mosaic patterns
Stunted growth
No visible fungus or bacteria ➡️ Example: mosaic viruses
Physiological problems (not disease)

Nutrient deficiency
Water stress
Heat or chemical burn ➡️ Often confused with disease

3. CHECK SPREAD PATTERN

Fast spread across plants → likely fungal or bacterial
Random individual plants → possible virus or stress
Uniform yellowing → often nutrient-related

4. CONFIRM BEFORE TREATMENT
Do not rush:
Check underside of leaves
Cut stems if wilting is present
Ask agronomist if unclear
Avoid guessing

5. DECIDE IF TREATMENT IS NECESSARY
Early infection = treat quickly
Severe infection = may be irreversible
Viral diseases = no cure, remove infected plants

6. CHOOSE RIGHT CONTROL OPTION
Fungal diseases
Copper-based fungicides
Mancozeb
Metalaxyl combinations

Bacterial diseases
Copper compounds
Field sanitation + removal of infected plants

Viral diseases
No chemical cure
Control vectors (whiteflies, aphids)
Remove infected plants immediately

Physiological problems
Correct fertilizer or irrigation
Improve soil and water management

7. APPLY CORRECTLY
Spray preventively when risk is high
Cover all plant surfaces
Rotate fungicides to avoid resistance
Do not mix blindly with insecticides

KEY MESSAGE
👉 Not all leaf damage is disease
👉 Not all diseases need spraying
👉 Correct diagnosis saves money and prevents resistance
Good farming starts with understanding, not spraying.

🐛 HOW TO IDENTIFY A PEST AND CHOOSE THE RIGHT PESTICIDE (FIELD GUIDE)

Most farmers lose money not because pests are strong, but because they spray without correct identification. Good control starts with observation, correct diagnosis, then treatment only when necessary.
1. OBSERVE THE FIELD
Walk through the farm and check:
Is damage in patches or everywhere?
Are plants generally weak or only some?
Are there visible insects or just symptoms?

2. READ THE DAMAGE TYPE

Chewing pests
Holes on leaves, missing parts, droppings ➡️ Caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers
Sucking pests

Curling leaves, yellowing, sticky leaves, stunting ➡️ Aphids, whiteflies, mites, leafhoppers

Mining pests
Tunnels inside leaves ➡️ Leaf miners

3. LOOK FOR THE PEST
Check underside of leaves, stems, flowers:
Use hand lens if possible
Shake plant over white paper
Identify insect type if visible

4. CHECK PEST LEVEL
Not all insects need spraying:
Low population + healthy crop = monitor only
Increasing population + visible damage = action needed

5. CONFIRM BEFORE ACTION
Try to clearly identify:
Caterpillar?
Aphid?
Whitefly?
Mite?
Leaf miner?
If unsure, ask an agronomist or extension officer.

6. CHOOSE RIGHT PRODUCT (BASED ON PEST)
Caterpillars
Bt products (biological)
Emamectin benzoate
Lambda-cyhalothrin

Aphids / Whiteflies
Imidacloprid
Acetamiprid
Neem-based options

Mites
Abamectin
Sulfur products

Leaf miners
Abamectin
Spinosad

7. APPLY CORRECTLY
Spray early morning or evening
Cover underside of leaves
Respect dosage
Rotate chemicals to avoid resistance

KEY MESSAGE
👉 No identification = waste of money
👉 Correct identification = targeted spraying
👉 Targeted spraying = better yield + lower cost

Importance of correct pest and disease identification before treatment

Spraying pesticides without knowing exactly what is attacking your crop is like treating every sickness with the same drug. Sometimes it works by chance, but most of the time you waste money, lose time, and still lose your harvest.

In farming, the first and most important step is not spraying. It is correct identification of the pest or disease.

When you identify the problem properly, everything changes. You stop guessing and start targeting. A caterpillar, a fungal disease, and a sap-sucking insect like whiteflies do not behave the same way, and they do not respond to the same products. If you spray the wrong product, the pest survives, continues feeding, and the crop continues to decline even though you spent money.
Many farmers in the field experience this same frustration: they spray today, and within a few days the problem looks even worse. In most cases, the issue is not “strong pests.” It is simply wrong diagnosis and wrong chemical choice.
The losses from random spraying are not only about the cost of pesticides. You also lose:

Yield, because the pest keeps damaging the crop while you are treating the wrong problem

Time, because the real treatment is delayed

Soil and crop health, because unnecessary
chemicals disturb beneficial organisms

Money, because repeated spraying becomes a cycle without results

There is also a hidden long term problem: pests adapt. When farmers spray randomly or repeatedly use the wrong products, surviving insects become stronger over time. This is how pesticide resistance builds up, and later even correct treatments start failing.
Now compare that to a farmer who first calls for a proper pest diagnosis service or expert identification. That farmer gains:
accurate understanding of the pest or disease
correct pesticide selection (or even biological control when appropriate)

fewer sprays, not more

better yield protection with lower cost

In many cases, what looks like a “serious disease” in the field is actually something simple like nutrient deficiency, water stress, or a minor pest that does not even require strong chemicals. Without identification, farmers often overreact and spend unnecessarily.
So the real question is not “which pesticide should I spray?”
The real question is: “what exactly am I fighting?”

Farming success is no longer about spraying more. It is about spraying right, at the right time, for the right problem.

That is why every serious farmer today should first invest in pest and disease identification services. It is not an extra cost. It is the step that prevents all the unnecessary losses that come from guessing in the field.

why your insecticide don't work always

In practice, this is very common. The problem is not always the product itself.
Here are the main causes:
Wrong identification of the pest
Sometimes farmers call several tiny white insects “whitefly,” but the actual pest may be:
aphids
mealybugs
leafhoppers
fungus gnats
moth larvae at young stage
Different insects respond to different active ingredients.
For example, pyrethroids may knock down some flying insects but perform poorly on sap-sucking whiteflies.
Common whitefly species include:
Bemisia tabaci
Trialeurodes vaporariorum
These species can react differently to pesticides.
Resistance development
This is one of the biggest problems worldwide.
Whiteflies reproduce very fast. If the same chemical group is used repeatedly, resistant individuals survive and multiply.
For example:
repeated use of lambda-cyhalothrin
cypermethrin
deltamethrin
imidacloprid
can eventually produce resistant whitefly populations.
Signs of resistance:
insects still active hours after spraying
temporary reduction then rapid return
adults fly away and return quickly
product used correctly but no improvement
Wrong active ingredient
Some insecticides kill chewing insects better than sucking insects.
Whiteflies are sap suckers. They feed under leaves and often require:
systemic insecticides
translaminar products
insect growth regulators
Some contact insecticides may kill exposed adults but not eggs and nymphs.
Poor spray coverage
Whiteflies usually stay:
under leaves
inside dense canopy
on young shoots
If spray does not reach the underside of leaves, many survive.
Common problems:
spraying only upper leaf surface
large droplet size
low pressure
insufficient water volume
dense crop canopy
Incorrect dosage or dilution
Problems include:
underdosing
over-dilution
using wrong measuring containers
poor mixing
Too low concentration may only weaken insects instead of kil

Assessment of pesticide usage, phytosanitary practices and risks associated with pesticide use by farmers in Cameroon: A comprehensive literature review
23 December 2024

GAUTIER NERLUS et al

Studies have explored Cameroonian farmers’ use of synthetic pesticides for pest and disease control during crop production and postharvest. Given reports of pesticide poisoning and high residue levels in Cameroonian food products, a comprehensive overview of pesticide practices among smallholders is essential. This review aims to assess current practices and factors influencing farmers’ phytosanitary behaviors in Cameroon. Data were compiled and analyzed from 27 peer-reviewed articles found through online databases. Results indicate insufficient knowledge, lack of training, and non-compliance with recommended doses (81% on average), application frequency (93.4%), and manufacturer guidelines (87%). Additionally, 75% of farmers do not use personal protective equipment (PPE), with higher education levels linked to better PPE use. Between 11% and 60% of farmers engage in unsafe practices, such as talking, singing, or eating during pesticide application; 74% ignore preharvest intervals, and half store pesticides in the house where they live. Concerning disposal, 44% discard empty containers on fields, while 17% reuse them, sometimes for food or water. This review identified 24 acute toxicity symptoms, including cramps (71%), pruritus (66%), thirst (54%), abdominal pain (42%), and chronic issues like reproductive toxicity (19%) and cancer (5%). In conclusion, this review reveals significant gaps in phytosanitary practices, impacting health, environmental safety, and consumer exposure, emphasizing the need for better farmer training and stronger pesticide regulation in Cameroon.

Vegetable growers' perception of pesticide use practices, cost, and health effects in the tropical region of Cameroon

By the world agroforestry centre

Pesticide use practices of vegetable farmers were investigated during surveys conducted in major vegetable production zones of the humid tropics of Cameroon. The surveys aimed to elucidate farmers' crop calendar, pesticide spray schedule and frequency. Farmers' knowledge was determined on pest targets, quantities and major active ingredients used, and training received in vegetable production. It was found that weekly spray of pesticides was the most common practice; 40% of farmers sprayed insecticide, 28% sprayed fungicides. However, 45 and 59% could not identify the insect pests and diseases respectively they were attempting to control. Farmers applied 0.5-9 liters of pesticide per year, 10-49 kg, and 10 to 49 packets of chemicals depending on farm size. Prices of pesticide range from 5000 to 13000 FCFA per liter of insecticide, 6000 to 8500 FCFA per kg of fungicide and 300 to 12000 F per packet. Ninety percent of farmers used a knapsack sprayer and 20% of farmers noticed that their health was affected by pesticides. About 25% of farmers store chemicals at home. Seventy-five percent receive information about agricultural production from other farmers, and have never received any training on pesticide use practices and health effects. The absence of farmer training further increases the danger of pesticide misuse and cost of vegetable production. Less expensive pest management options that are less hazardous to the environment and human health need to be introduced to farmers, and create awareness regarding hazards of mishandling pesticides if the products are to be used by vegetable farmers in Cameroon