Locusts and grasshoppers are serious threat for agriculture in Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA). Three locust pests, the Italian (CIT), the Moroccan (DMA) and the Migratory (LMI) locusts, jeopardize food security and livelihood in both regions as well as in adjacent areas of northern Afghanistan and southern Russian Federation. Over 25 million hectares of cultivated areas are potentially at risk.
Locusts have a high capacity to multiply, form groups, migrate over relatively large distances (they can fly up to 100 km per day) and settle and breed in various habitats. These capacities enhance their pest status at regional level. Locust are becoming even more dangerous in the context of exceptional weather events associated to climate change, due to their exceptional capacity to take advantage of new situations; as an indicator, locust situation has deteriorated with recurrent droughts since the beginning of the 21st century.
Considering locust transboundary nature and countries’ political borders in Caucasus and Central Asia, any sustainable solution against these agricultural pests can only result from well-coordinated prevention relying on improved national and regional locust management. This includes adequate preparation by each single country as well as concerted joint efforts.
In brief...
- 10 countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
- 3 pests: Italian Locust, Moroccan Locust and Migratory Locust
- 25 million ha of cultivated areas under threat
- At least 20 million people at risk, including the most vulnerable rural populations
- A problem shared at regional level, mainly due to locust transboundary nature and pattern of countries’ political borders
- Response: improve national and regional locust management in CCA (preventive approach) with the strategic objective to reduce occurrence and intensity of locust outbreaks in Caucasus and Central Asia thus limiting threat or damage to crops and rangelands and safeguarding rural population food security and livelihood, as well as minimizing impact on human health and the environment.
