February 03, 2020

Andrew Campbell 

Since 2019 the desert locust has been spreading across most countries in the East Africa region. It is imminent that the desert locust poses a major threat to their food and farming system.

On February 1, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of Somalia has issued and declared a national state of emergency over its locust crisis. The desert locust reportedly had already ruined more than 100,000 hectares (1,000 square kilometers) of farmland and pastures in December of 2019. The damage had put Somalia under the fragile food security situation.

The latest outbreak of desert locust in Somalia is perceived as more destructive than ever. The local matured locusts originated from Yemen before and new swarms of locusts migrating from the Gulf will definitely strike Somalia with severe damage both to the farms and pasture.

Millions of Somalis have received more than US$ 1 billion aid of humanitarian support in 2019. The Somali government now appeals for US$ 3 million in 2020. In the meantime, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) warns that locust numbers across the East Africa region will grow 500 times by June and also demands an initial US$ 3 million to combat the infestation of the desert locust.

Photo:Webshot.