While the eyes of the world are on the novel coronavirus, East Africa continues to struggle with another crisis of biblical proportions: growing swarms of ravenous locusts.
Both crises are extraordinary in scale, and both foes multiply so quickly that governments are struggling to contain them.
But times of crisis are also times of innovation and collaboration. And just like scientists around the world are racing to find ways to contend with COVID-19, international researchers have joined forces with FAO to create new tools to stay one step ahead of the itinerant locusts.
Such tools are becoming even more relevant as restrictions associated with COVID-19 are posing new obstacles for response teams.
“None of the affected countries in East Africa are usual frontline areas for locust infestations, so they had none of the available systems and tools in place,” says Keith Cressman, Senior Locust Forecasting Officer at FAO. “We’re now speeding to make easy-to-use versions of those tools for countries like Kenya, South Sudan and Somalia – tools that can be used by field officers regardless of whether they’ve been trained in locust control or not.
The technology ranges from data collection tools that monitor the presence of locusts to satellite imaging systems that help predict where the crop-hungry pests will travel next. Kenya will soon become the first country to test FAO drones for locust surveillance.
“From a scientific perspective, crises like these offer an opportunity to test new ideas and technologies and see how they can be used to manage pests,” says Cressman.