Locusts ... as well?

Locust Swarm, Hotel Kesong, Flickr

Published on LinkedIn, 22 March 2020.

Africa as a whole might not be experiencing many covid-19 cases right now, but the northeast of the continent is suffering from the largest locusts swarms in more than 70 years.

Desert locusts are the most destructive of the locust species. A one-square kilometre swarm can contain between 40-80 million insects, and they will eat the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people. But some of these dense clouds of a swarm can contain hundreds of millions of the insects, and move across 150km of land per day. Behind them, they leave devastated, starving, agriculture-based communities who have nowhere else to turn for food. 

The plague of desert locusts ravaging the already food-fragile nations of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya since January has now moved north to the Arabian Peninsula and into Iran and Pakistan for its spring and summer breeding cycle. Behind the original swarms, new swarms are building in the Horn of Africa, a worrying development given that this is the spring cropping season. There is also the real risk that the locusts will move into other countries in the region such as South Sudan and Uganda. 

The problem has been exacerbated in East Africa, by recent warm wet weather which has provided perfect breeding conditions, and the US Food & Agriculture Organization believes that the numbers could increase an alarming 500-fold by June this year. The breeding explosion and the speed of their movement has meant local authorities have been stretched to their limits and are not able to contain the swarms. 

In drought-ravaged Pakistan, recent torrential rains may have provided some water relief, but they have resulted in an explosion of locust breeding and the loss of complete harvests, causing food prices to soar. Pakistan declared a national emergency on 1 February, calling on China for help with pesticides. This action killed many, but not in large enough numbers, nor early enough, to stop the laying of eggs which will hatch and destroy the new crops and the cycle begins again. 

Pakistan was already struggling financially before the covid-19 pandemic, this locust plague is now wreaking further havoc on the country’s cotton-based textile industry which employs more people than any other sector, and accounts for 60% of exports.

Affected countries are receiving support from various foundations and other countries to secure resources including aerial spraying equipment, but the situation is far from under control at this time, and more funding is needed urgently. 

Read about the latest developments and see the locust coverage map.