July 26, 2019

Andrew Campbell 

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today alerted that the number of desert locusts growing in summer will increase in the next three months due to heavy rainfall. The affected countries include Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea, parts of Ethiopia and parts of northern Somalia. Agricultural production areas face a serious threat. It will have potential harmful effects on seasonal production of agriculture and the local economy, influencing national food security and livelihoods.
 

This year, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Sudan have put lots of efforts on ground and aerial control operations with a controlled area of ​​712,000 hectares, 219,000 hectares and 105,000 hectares, which undoubtedly reduced the number of locusts, but still could not completely stop the locusts from growing and flying to Yemen, Sudan, the Horn of Africa and the traditional summer breeding areas on both sides of the India-Pakistan border.
 

In the inland and shore sides of Yemen and the interior of the Sudan, the desert locust upsurge at a medium or high risk level, which may lead to the formation of swarm and threaten agricultural production during the summer season. Thereafter, in the upcoming winter (after November), the number of locusts on both sides of the Red Sea will mount further.

 
Yemen is currently facing the world's most serious humanitarian crisis and is also facing the highest risk of desert locust outbreaks. A large number of young locusts are destroying crops everywhere. Heavy rainfall will speed up the swarm to incubate from this week. If the weather condition is beneficial, these swarm may reproduce at the end of August.
 

In the northeastern of Somalia, adult locusts have been found in several places over the past few weeks, causing severe crop damage. A large number of larvae are currently on the northwest coast and may also appear in the northeast, which are hatched by eggs. This may bring up the creation of new locust in late August.
 

Similar situation is expected to happen in eastern Ethiopia. In addition, a large number of adult locusts have been observed in the Nile Valley in Sudan. Recently, some adult locusts have emerged in the Red Sea coast and North Kordofan province, where they will be reproduced in summer.
 

What is a desert locust?
After learning to fly, tens of millions of locusts form a group that can fly up to 150 kilometers a day by wind. The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) can live for about three months, and a female locust can produce near 300 eggs. Adult desert locust can eat almost the same amount of fresh food as their own weight, around 2 grams per day. A very small group of locusts can eat the food in one day is equivalent to the total of daily intake of food for 35,000 people.
 

Urgent action to prevent the spread
FAO pointed out desert locust emergency response is needed at Yemen to protect crops to reduce the risk of infestations in Yemen and to prevent locusts from invading neighboring countries.
 

Through the Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities (SFERA), FAO has rapidly raised $100,000 in funding and contributed $200,000 on its own to launching a much needed disaster response campaign. FAO has implemented a series of emergency measures to support monitoring and control operations in the breeding areas.
 

The main beneficiaries of the operation were farmers, livestock keepers and nomads living in desert locust outbreaks; aid will help Yemen’s approximately 100,000 people save crops and avoid crop losses. Crop losses can motivate enlarged hunger and poverty in rural areas tortured by lasting conflict.
 

Although Sudan’s facilities and disaster prevention capability are much better than that in other countries in the region, the current political situation in the country may reduce the efficiency of operations this summer. The capacity of places in Eritrea, Ethiopia and northern Somalia is still relatively weak.
 

Due to the current severity of the locust outbreak, all countries must monitor field conditions through regular ground surveys and take the necessary control measures when major outbreaks are discovered.

FAO is responsible for the operation of the Desert Locust Information Service System, receiving and analyzing information from countries affected by locust outbreaks to assess current locust outbreaks, provide forecasts and, if necessary, issue warnings and inform the international community of the latest outbreaks situation and threats.

Photo:Webshot.