Wheat InitiATive Crop Health Alliance (WATCH-A)

About WATCH-A

The Wheat initiATive Crop Health Alliance – WATCH-A was established in 2022 as a result of consultations from the then joint Pests and Pathogens Expert Working Group of the Wheat Initiative (WI). Its objective is to develop detailed and timely information on wheat disease occurrence and support global monitoring of disease and pest outbreaks.  It is a global alliance that provides a platform committed to advancing wheat production.  The alliance operates within the framework of the Wheat Initiative. WATCH-A also collaborates with likeminded organisations specialising in agricultural science, like CABI, to enhance pest and disease diagnosis and monitoring worldwide.

What We Do

  • Initiate projects based on established national programs for disease and pest diagnosis and monitoring, applying common, consistent analysis techniques.

  • Provide global access to an expanding database of information, including pathogen, pest, and host sequence data.

  • Ensure effective access to data, biological isolates, and screening protocols.

  • Gradually expand monitoring activities to build a comprehensive global surveillance system.

Organisation and Steering Committee

The WATCH-A steering committee is composed of representatives from WI members, experts in the field, and members of the WI Scientific Board. Researchers and organisations are regularly invited to its meetings.

The alliance has benefited from strong partnerships that strengthen its global reach and diverse scientific capacity. At this stage, only WI members can send representatives to become part of WATCH-A Steering committee.

Current Activities

The workshops and monitoring activities are carried out in close cooperation with partners, ensuring alignment with global priorities and access to the latest scientific advancements.

Meetings: Since 2023, the WATCH-A Steering Committee and invited guests meet every three months. The primary focus is identifying national programs and data sources that provide a foundation for a global disease and pest monitoring system, while assessing the impact of these threats on wheat production.

Surveys: WATCH-A supported the launch of a survey on Wheat Yields and Disease and Pest Pressure Data which is currently in process. The survey was made in collaboration with CABI’s ‘Global Burden of Crop Loss’ initiative, who produced and sent out the surveys in August 2024, seeking worldwide researchers participation in a collaborative effort to assess national data related to wheat yields and observed pest presence (including pathogens, insects, weeds and others). The goal is to deliver a data-driven estimate of wheat losses and to identify the specific contributing factors.

Up to now:

  • Surveys have been completed by researchers in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Australia, UK, Canada, USA, Germany and France, with several other countries providing leads on data sources.

  • CABI is currently following up with the relevant contacts identified in the surveys to obtain access to the appropriate data sources or to seek clarification on specific aspects of the data.

The survey results will then be analysed by CABI, which will provide the results in 2026.

Workshops

A workshop on Pest and Disease Diagnosis and Monitoring Workshop is planned to be held on Thursday 18th September 2025. For workshop program and to register go to: WATCH-A Workshop – 18th of September 2025

Future activities

Using the workshop as starting point, it is planned to host a face-to-face meeting in 2026, to develop multinational collaborations aimed at sharing information and capabilities to accelerate the development of new imaging systems for pest and disease monitoring.

Other useful platforms for crop disease monitoring