A plague of locusts in times of COVID-19: the double threat that hits Africa
Locust infestations have been a concern in some regions of Africa since the beginning of time. However, the current climatic conditions exacerbated by climate change have created the perfect breeding ground for increasing numbers of these insects in the region. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), founded in 1945, considers the current situation and new forecasts to be alarming, as these locust infestations are expected to continue to spread to parts of the Horn of Africa and South-West Asia, at the same time as these regions are struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.
April has been characterized as a rainy month in some regions of East Africa, creating the perfect place for the spread of locusts. FAO believes that although some actions have been taken to reduce the numbers of these insects, the new generation will start moving in the coming weeks through Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia; while these plagues are expected to reach Eritrea and Sudan in the coming months. In Yemen, where there is currently an ongoing civil war, "the situation is very worrying because several swarms have laid eggs in the country, where there has been heavy and widespread rainfall, which will allow new pests to hatch and grow," they warned.
Right now, Iran and Pakistan are two of the countries most affected by this threat. The Department of Plant Protection (DPP) of the Ministry of Food Security and National Research (MFSR) is the main institution in charge of monitoring and managing the locust threat in the Pakistani desert. It estimates that the economic losses due to the invasion of these insects could reach approximately PKR 205 billion (about US$1.2 billion). In response to this situation, the Government of Pakistan has taken a number of control and surveillance measures in coordination with neighbouring countries to address this threat and minimize its impact.
Meanwhile, in Iran, this new pest has damaged at least 4.8 million tons of agricultural products in the country, according to The New Humanitarian website. The head of the FAO resistance team for Africa, Cyril Ferrand, insisted in early April that although the blockade by the coronavirus is a reality, these populations are carrying out surveillance and control operations by air and land. Until then, more than 240 000 hectares in 10 countries had been treated with chemical pesticides or bio-pesticides, and 750 people were more than prepared to carry out locust control operations in their regions. In the case of the Islamic Republic, this plague is coupled with the economic crisis the country is experiencing and the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
The blockade imposed by the United States on this nation also prevents them from importing pesticides to deal with the locusts. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's top pest predictor has explained to New Humanitarian that pesticides are "the only way" to treat locusts. "The problem this year is that swarms from outside invaded the southwest of the country, while the seasonal rains came earlier than expected," he said.
In 2015, the US and Iran signed an agreement limiting the country's nuclear development capacity led by Hassan Rohani, in return for Washington withdrawing much of its economic sanctions. However, with the arrival of Donald Trump to power this agreement became a dead letter. The current president of the American giant announced the withdrawal of his country from the agreement and the imposition of new sanctions. The consequences imposed by the blockade also influence the locust plague, since this country has problems in importing certain products to stop the spread of locusts in its territory, as mentioned above.
The regions most threatened by this new locust outbreak are Hormozgan, Sistan and Baluchestan provinces, Bushehr, Fars, Khuzestan, South Khorasan and Kerman. These areas are characterized by the production of wheat, rice, fruits and nuts, including walnuts, raisins and dates that are exported both regionally and to destinations in Europe and China, according to The New Humanitarian. Although Iran has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19, the teams working to reduce the impact of this pest are considered essential workers and must continue to perform their duties. "While most people cannot access the different areas of the country because of quarantine regulations, we are using channels such as Facebook and Twitter to inform farmers about locust migration," an Iranian official told the media.
Torrential rains throughout April have caused major flooding in some countries in the region, increasing the risk of coronavirus infection due to difficult access to certain resources. This situation is compounded by what is considered the most serious desert locust invasion in decades, an event that threatens agricultural production in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. "This kind of species, unfortunately, does not recognize borders and does not need a visa or a passport. When it moves, it covers the whole distance," said Stephen Njoka, director-general of the Desert Locust Control Organization for East Africa (DLCO-EA).
Climate change and torrential rains create the perfect environment for these insects, which need damp places to lay their eggs and reproduce. "The year 2019 has been very unusual. Usually the rain stops in mid-December, but today we see that in January it is still raining which has encouraged this outbreak. In general, the entire Horn of Africa has experienced the wettest rainy season in the last 40 years," Guleid Artan, director of the Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC), told EFE news agency. The World Bank has warned that, if this plague is not controlled, "the number of desert locusts could increase 400 times by June".
Likewise, scientists have shown over the last few years that climate change is one of the main drivers of the current outbreak. Desert locust swarms have been recorded in the region for thousands of years, but current weather conditions and heavy rainfall on the Arabian Peninsula caused above-normal vegetation growth that created ideal conditions for the locusts to feed and develop.
The inability of many of these countries to deal with the coronavirus crisis and the locust infestation could lead to thousands of people suffering from famine, in a region devastated by poverty and which seemed to be slowly recovering from years of drought and flooding. "Two-thirds of our region is pastoral, which means that if pastures are affected, their livelihoods and food will also be threatened," said FAO Assistant Director-General of the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department, Bukar Tijani.
The effects of the 2019 African locust upsurge have varied from country to country. For example, in Somalia, 55 percent of agricultural land in the affected areas was damaged, according to data accessed by The New Humanitarian web portal. In Ethiopia, some 200,000 hectares of farmland were affected, leaving one million people at risk of food insecurity. "Locusts further threaten their food security and their ability to access pasture for livestock. These effects on the food cycle could dramatically threaten livelihoods and push these people even further into poverty," warned the World Bank.
These insects are capable of travelling 150 kilometres a day and destroying more than 200 tonnes of vegetation. The locust plague that threatens Africa and the Middle East is, according to FAO, the worst infestation in 25 years in Ethiopia and Somalia, in 26 years in India and in 70 years in Kenya. The Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is considered the world's most destructive migratory locust because it is highly mobile and can form swarms containing millions of locusts, with devastating effects on crops. "A small swarm can consist of 80 million locusts and can consume the same amount of food in a day as 35,000 people, while a large swarm can consume up to 1.8 million metric tons of green vegetation, which is equivalent to enough food to feed 81 million people," the World Bank has said.
Right now, this threat is mainly affecting countries in the Horn of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, each using one method or another to address the problem. However, the coronavirus health crisis has led to delays in obtaining pesticides and other supplies needed to address this problem, which has affected more than 23 countries from Pakistan to Tanzania. The current locust outbreak represents a new threat to food security in the region, especially for those farmers who depend on their crops for survival.
