Core Contribution to and Going Green of ICIPE

Of over a million animal species known and described world-wide, more than 90% are arthropods (insects, ticks, mites, spiders, nematodes etc.). Tropical Africa provides an ideal environment for a rich variety of arthropod life. This has a profound influence on its economic and social life, which is, unfortunately, mostly negative. Malaria vectors are responsible for highest levels of mortality and morbidity recorded anywhere in the world; the tsetse fly has dictated the pattern of agropastoral land-use in vast areas of the continent. Locust swarms appear at a frequency and severity not seen elsewhere in the world. In addition, insect pests alone contribute anywhere between 10-80% of yield losses in Africa's food and cash crops. On the other hand, the rich beneficial arthropod resources of the continent are among the most under-utilised. Problems associated with arthropod pests and disease vectors on one hand, and opportunities in arthropod conservation and utilisation on the other, cut across the key sectors of health, agriculture and the environment. This focus on arthropod science makes ICIPE unique among international research centres.

• ICIPE’s aim is to contribute to the alleviation of poverty, to food security and to the improvement of the overall health status of people by developing tools and strategies to deal with harmful and useful arthropods.
• With the “greening” of ICIPE the Centre has minimised the energy and water consumption, and thus it is saving natural resources and money..

Beneficiaries of ICIPE's research and technology development are first of all farmers in Africa. This is achieved through partnership approaches reaching from national research to NGOs, public and private service providers and extension services. Other beneficiaries also include young scientists and extensionists that benefit from an education in insect ecology, management of arthropod vectors of human and animal diseases and in research, methodology, and management. The technologies generated at ICIPE are available to NGO's, donors and other actors active in development cooperation.

• Each of ICIPE’s research areas of plant, animal, human and environmental health is addressed. New entomological areas, especially in the framework of climate change are established, new tools are developed, introduced and adapted, and mature technologies are outscaled.
• The carbon footprint of ICIPE is minimised by production of solar energy for electrical needs and an efficient use of water.

Risultati fasi precedenti:  

ICIPE’s contribution in arthropods related science for tropical Africa is unique and covers most important aspects going from basic research to applied problem solving and thus meets the arthropods related development priorities in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Its research and development activities made significant impacts in science and policy, in the field of technology transfer, in capacity building, as an information resource centre in SSA and in partnerships with public and private actors. Several technologies developed by ICIPE’s researchers reached the level of practical maturity enabling them for scaling-up.

Fase 7 01.01.2014 - 31.12.2019   (Completed)