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In 2021 GOPA AFC started to implement the Sustainable Rural Development Project in Albania, funded by GIZ. Since then, the tomato leafminer moth Tuta absoluta has started to cause a major problem in Albanian greenhouses. It originally came from South America but then spread over the Mediterranean region from West to East. This pest showed resistance to many pesticides and farmers started to spray a whole range of pesticides in large quantities. This of course led to high residues showing up in the produce which was not well received by Albania’s export market.
GOPA AFC responded to this challenge by introducing pheromone traps to attract male Tuta moths and thus controlled pest population in several demonstration sites. This was combined with the biopesticide Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.). As a result, the number of pesticide applications against Tuta was more than halved. However, whiteflies now became an issue and farmers sprayed pesticides to control them.
In 2022 we organised a trial shipment of beneficial insects (BCOs = biological control organisms) to release them in demonstration greenhouses for the control of whiteflies and leafminers, and also aphids that started to become a problem. However, most farmers did not trust the effectiveness of this control method and continued to use pesticides, often some that were not compatible with the BCOs.
We understood that biological control is above all a matter of knowledge, attitude and confidence. Therefore, in 2023, 87 greenhouse farms interested in using BCOs were instructed on the correct management of BCOs and were made aware of the risks of using pesticides. We linked them to three Albanian input providers who became partners of different European producers of BCOs. As a result of this, the vast majority of growers produced crops with pests at acceptable levels, low pesticide residues, good harvests and returns.
In this way, the first step of introducing BCOs in greenhouse production was successfully taken. We have to admit, however, that the widespread habit of using commercially available bumblebees for pollination since 2012 has certainly helped for the logistics needed to get BCOs into the greenhouses alive and in time. It also prepared the mindset of farmers to properly manage BCOs, as with the use of bumblebees, pesticides must be used with great care as well.
In order to establish a sound system of managing BCOs which can be replicated in greenhouses of farmers who are supplied by different input providers, a consistent monitoring approach was developed and tested. The Consultants of GOPA AFC selected a number of young agronomists who were trained and coached in scouting and monitoring.
Building on the 2023 experience, a campaign of Friday-evening-talks in local coffee bars was conducted in 2024. A film explaining the main points of biological control was shown, often followed by very active discussions. Furthermore, brochures were distributed during these events and at other places of interest to farmers. We also observed that farmers who successfully used biological control often were instrumental in convincing their peer farmers to change their method of pest control.
In 2024, already 157 farmers used commercial BCOs in their greenhouses. During the pilots and demonstrations, we observed that with reduced use of pesticides naturally occurring beneficial organisms (mainly the mirid bug Nesidiocoris tenuis) came into the greenhouses and turned out to be very effective against some of the major pests. GOPA AFC is now following 35 greenhouse farmers who practice their biological control relying mainly on naturally occurring, spontaneous beneficials.
In 2024 pesticide residue analyses of crops with conventional pest control detected three times the number of pesticide then vegetables grown with BCOs. Therefore, biological control has proven to make a significant difference. Yet, as the crop is not yet residue-free, we still have a fair way to go.
For any questions, please contact Project Manager Ninakristin.thurn [at] gopa-afc.de or the GOPA AFC Consultants for biological control Holger Kahl and Piro Rapushi.