Farmers around the world are struggling with the consequences of climate change. In addition to heat and drought, pests are causing crop losses. The EU-funded research project ‘UPSCALE’, led by Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), shows how food security can be ensured and agriculture made sustainable and resilient in East Africa. The international consortium of 19 partners in ten countries is developing and testing agroecological strategies to make agricultural systems more resilient and sustainable.

Biological pest control with integrated cropping system

At the heart of the project is push-pull technology – an integrated cropping system that controls pests without chemical pesticides while increasing yields and soil fertility. By combining cereals, legumes and companion plants, pests are repelled from the main crop by volatile substances that repel (push) them. At the same time, the pests are attracted to marginal plants that are attractive to them (pull).

‘We have already achieved important successes in the UPSCALE project that have increased the flexibility and adaptability of the technology, for example by integrating the system into legume, agroforestry and high-value vegetable cropping systems,’ says Emily Poppenborg Martin from JLU, who coordinates the project. ‘We have also been able to show how and where push-pull agroecology innovations can be scaled up most effectively.’

Integration into regional and national agricultural systems

The EU UPSCALE project has been running since 2020 and is scheduled to continue until April 2026. Participatory platforms that bring together stakeholders from agriculture, research and politics play a central role in this. This approach aims to ensure that push-pull technology is accepted in the long term and that agroecological principles are incorporated into regional and national agricultural systems. The team was recognised for its progress in October at the African Union (AU) and EU Innovation Fair in Brussels.

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