The first wave of desert locust swarms hit Somalia in 2019. Carpets of hopper bands and clouds of locust swarms resembling those of a storm started appearing throughout the country. As the locusts descended on any vegetation they could find, crops succumbed to their appetite; fields became barren with nothing left behind for animals to graze and the livelihoods of agropastoralists and smallholder farmers were shattered in a matter of hours.

For decades, chemical pesticides have been the only solution to controlling desert locust numbers. Though chemical pesticides are highly effective at controlling locusts, they can impact more than just these pests, creating environmental and human health risks. In recent years, the development of nature-based biopesticides has offered a safer alternative to locust control.

During this 2019-2022 desert locust crisis, the Government of Somalia, together with FAO, used biopesticides and Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs) exclusively to control these pests, achieving a first in this kind of response and setting an example for locust management worldwide.

Biopesticides use natural bacteria, fungi or viruses to attack insect pests. One fungus, Metarhizium acridum, used in Somalia has proven to be particularly effective in controlling locusts by feeding on the targeted insect, killing them in a week or two.