The fall armyworm poses a serious threat to Africa’s food security. Having first appeared on the continent in 2015, fall armyworm is now on the precipice of devastating food staples as it quickly spreads across Africa.

Fall armyworm attacks more than 80 different plant species, and agriculture experts estimate the pests have caused over $13 billion in losses for crops like maize, sorghum, rice and sugarcane in African countries in just a matter of years.

Feed The Future, together with USAID and Nesta Challenges launched the Fall Armyworm Tech Prize, calling on innovators from around the world to find digital solutions to track the path of the pest, communicate potential interventions to smallholder farmers, and relay information to agricultural decision makers.

Nesta approached 89up to create a short animation to launch the prize challenge. The eye-catching, colourful animation broke down a complex topic in a simple and easy-to-understand way, and included a clear call to action for potential entrants.