Connecting African and European nematology expertise
From 1–5 December 2025, Dan Bebber, Professor of Ecology at the University of Exeter, UK, joined Prof. Danny Coyne of NemAfrica, Kenya, a joint nematology research platform of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), in order to learn more about tropical nematode pests under the NEM-EMERGE project and explore shared solutions to invasive soil-borne threats.
Within the consortium, Prof. Bebber leads the work focused on predicting how climate change and other environmental factors will influence future distribution, expansion and impact of root-knot nematodes.
His visit to Kenya demonstrated the potential of the NEM-EMERGE consortium to leverage global networks to accelerate nematology awareness and capacity, especially in Africa, where such expertise is urgently needed. This visit was organised to coincide with the Tropical Pests and Diseases (TP&D) course field visits, within the ‘Kenya Track Option’ coordinated by NemAfrica for postgraduate scholars enrolled in the International Master of Science in Agro- and Environmental Nematology (IMaNema) at Ghent University. Also joining the course were students from the Master’s programme in Plant Pathology at Moi University, Kenya.
As a result, Prof. Bebber joined a fascinating field visit to the Nguruman Irrigation Scheme, a farmer-founded and managed agricultural oasis on the southern edge of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley that is sustained by water flowing from the Nguruman Escarpment, supporting life in an otherwise arid region.
He witnessed firsthand the complexities of agrifood systems due to shifts in agricultural policies, services and practices, farmer aspirations, value chain aspects and market demands, effects of irrigation such as soil salinity and infertility; and the interplay with climate change, and diseases and pests, with a focus on nematodes.
He also provided a background and oversight of activities in NEM-EMERGE with a presentation and conversation titled: ‘Climate change impact on crop pests and pathogens’, to explore synergies with ongoing research at IITA and icipe. He concluded his visit with a visit to a local export-oriented herb production farm, where root-knot nematodes are problematic in the hydroponic-based system.
