Purdue entomologist introduces IPM to students in Afghanistan

Nearly fifty students at Kabul University’s Faculty of Agriculture in Afghanistan attended a special two-day seminar on integrated pest management Monday and Tuesday (Sept. 7-8).

Rick Foster, Purdue entomologist and IPM specialist, traveled 4,000 miles to help students and professors understand control techniques and different combinations of those techniques to manage insects in their area.

He introduced the basic concepts of integrated pest management; which focuses on the crops and not so much on the pest.

IPM means it’s profitable for the farmer and it’s safe for the environment, farmers and workers, consumers, wildlife, and natural enemies and pollinators.

“The seminar was very good for us, because we learned a lot of new things about pesticides,” said Sayed Mohammad Naim, a seminar participant and senior student studying plant protection at Kabul. “It also helped to clarify some of the questions we had about insect classification because we were using outdated material.”

Foster’s short-course is sponsored by the Purdue University USAID Advancing Afghan Agriculture Alliance (A-4). The program, which has been in existence for four years, is designed to rebuild agricultural education in Afghanistan.

Three assistant professors of Kabul’s Faculty of Agriculture, who were also Foster’s students at Purdue earning their masters, helped teach the seminar.

Gehlum Hussein, an assistant professor in the Forestry Department, introduced students to various pest classifications such as Crustacea, Diplodia, Insecta, Arachnida and more. Fawzia Mumtaz, assistant professor in the department of plant protection, will discuss how to identify Orthoptera. Samiullah Baheer, assistant professor in the department of agronomy, will discuss how to identify Hemiptera and Hemoptera.

Another senior student studying plant protection, Zahra Nabawi, said the seminar was very beneficial because she learned how to recognize, classify and control insects. She particularly enjoyed an armyworm movie that Foster showed, explaining just how destructive pests can be if not properly managed.

While in Afghanistan, Foster also will help develop an international insect/pest survey.

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