For a number of years, the Agricultural University in Norway together with GreenTrac A/S have been developing a low cost all terrain vehicle that could be used where roads were absent.
The project "Improving Pesticide Application Techniques for Desert Locust Control" developed an interest in the concept in order that aeas previously inaccessible to Desert Locust control and survey teams could be visited. This would allow those areas to be surveyed and, if neccessary treated, to prevent locust breeding and a consequent unexpected upsurge in the locust population. The South-West Asia Commission also expressed an interest in this type of vehicle.
The project collaborated in the development of a proof of concept vehicle that has been tested (with the help of Norwegian scientists and the CLAA) in Mauritania.
The particpants in the workshop all drove the vehicle, and were asked for their comments on it's suitability for their own circumstances. The comments received will feed back into the further development of the vehicle for locust survey and control.
Two Ways of Surveying Difficult Terrain
Note that the sprayer mounted on the vehicle is to assess the effect of weight on vehicle performance - it is not used for the application of pesticides.