The invasion of Fall Army worms (FAW) requires a joint global approach to stop it from spreading further to other regions, a scientist said on Tuesday.

Segenet Kelemu, the director general of the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), said the speed at which the pest has been traversing the world as it destroys farms is worrying.

"There is need for a joint global approach since the pest despite efforts to manage it has continued to spread," Kelemu said this during an information sharing session on management of Fall Armyworm in Africa in Nairobi.

Kelemu noted that a recent incidence in India where the pest was reported shows that no country or region is immune to its effects.

Kelemu said FAW has spread in 40 Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) countries within less than two years causing severe damages.

"The fact that FAW has recently been reported in India and parts of South East Asia are signs that researchers and other stakeholders must agree on a joint effort aimed at stopping it from further spread," Kelemu noted.

She said FAW that damages main food security crops like maize and sorghum has caused damages valued at 6.2 billion U.S. dollars in less than two years in SSA alone.

Kelemu hailed Ethiopian government for encouraging farmers to adapt the push and pull technology in managing the pest.

She announced that ICIPE is moving into Southern African countries to help popularize the use of push and pull technology.

"We are in the process of developing an integrated pest management for FAW that is specific to Africa," she added.

Gabriel Rugalema, the Food and Agrilctural Organization (FAO) representative to Kenya, told Xinhua on Tuesday that the organization is not relenting in the fight against the pest.

"We are conducting a further research besides training agricultural extension officers to help farmers in identifying the pest," he said.

Rugalema noted that despite efforts towards its management, FAW has become resistant and continues destroying farms in the country.

"With its intensity, there is need to have an elaborate stakeholder approach to help stop the pest from destroying crops," Rugalema added.

He called on farmers to practice crop rotation and stop recycling old seeds by planting hybrid seeds to help reduce the effects of FAW.

Zachary Kinyua, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) assistant director for crop research, noted that FAW is still in an emergency state.

Kinyua added that sustainable ways of management are being developed alongside looking for a lasting solution.

"We are looking at the option of having resistance maize varieties as well as looking for natural enemies through Integrated Pest Management (IPM)," he said.

He called on farmers to apply mechanical picking of the pests besides spraying pesticides in time.