Biological Control of Food Pests

Abstract

News release announcing that the Nigeria-based International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has achieved major success in the biological control of one damaging African food peat, and made progress towards controlling another. IITA's success in controlling the cassava mealybug has benefitted more than 200 million Africans for whom cassava is a staple food. The benefit:cost ratio of the cassava mealybug program has been calculated at 149:1--$149 worth of food saved for every$1 of research or development invested