“Biocontol of Parthenium is an especially important initiative to apply right now to reduce burdens for rural farmers,” says Muni Muniappan, Ph.D. (shown here at right), director of the IPM Innovation Lab. “On top of food insecurity, the COVID-19 pandemic has further limited farmer access to food. Mitigating the spread of this destructive weed will generate a chain reaction. It will help clear land for animal grazing, increasing milk yields. It will reduce weeding time, which will be particularly meaningful for women, who often hand-weed. It will open land for possible crop production without the use of pesticides, which will generally improve human and environmental health.”