The number of desert locust swarms invading cropping areas in Mauritania, Senegal and Mali from Northwest Africa has increased in the past two weeks, according to FAO's latest locust update.

Desert locust swarms travel a few kilometres to over 100 km per day, or as much as 3500 km in a month. One tonne of locusts (a very small portion of an average swarm) eat as much food in one day as about 10 elephants or 25 camels or 2500 people.