Rising Desert Locusts threat to food security in Horn of Africa: FAO

According to FAO's latest update on the Desert Locust upsurge, the current situation would be further worsened by new breeding that will produce more locust infestations in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today warned that rising numbers of Desert Locusts present an extremely alarming and unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods in the Horn of Africa.

According to FAO's latest update on the Desert Locust upsurge, the current situation would be further worsened by new breeding that will produce more locust infestations in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.  

South Sudan and Uganda are at risk and there is also concern about new swarms forming in Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen.

"Locust swarms have started laying eggs and another generation of breeding will increase locust numbers," said Keith Cressman, Senior Locust Forecasting Officer at FAO.  "Urgent efforts must be made to stop them from increasing to protect the livelihoods of farmers and livestock holders." 

It is the worst outbreak of Desert Locusts seen in the region for decades.  Tens of thousands of hectares of croplands and pasture have been damaged in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia with potentially severe consequences in a region where 11.9 million people are already food insecure.

The potential for destruction is enormous.  A locust swarm of one square kilometer can eat the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people.

In Kenya, immature swarms are moving through northern and central areas and have so far invaded 13 counties. Some swarms have started to lay eggs that will hatch in early February and new swarms are expected to form in early April.

Swarms are present in eastern areas of Ethiopia and continue to move south and into the Rift Valley with a new generation of locusts expected to cause more damage. In Somalia, swarms are present and breeding in the north-east as well as in the south near the Kenyan border.

As numbers continue to rise there is now serious concern that South Sudan and Uganda are under threat because some of the swarms in Kenya are only 200 kilometers from the country's borders with its neighbors.

FAO is already working closely with governments and partners, supporting control operations and initiating efforts to safeguard livelihoods and assist in the longer-term recovery of those affected.

However, intensive ground and aerial control operations need to be urgently scaled up to detect and reduce the locust numbers before they spread any further.

FAO requires $70 million to support rapid control operations and measures to protect livelihoods and prevent deterioration of the food security situation.

On Thursday, FAO will give donors an informal briefing* at its Rome headquarters on the gravity of the Desert Locust outbreak, particularly in the Horn of Africa, as well as the ongoing response at the country and regional level.

*The informal briefing is aimed at representatives of FAO Member States will not be open to the media public, but it can be followed by webstream here.

(With Inputs from APO)