Swarms of Desert Locust in Northern Regions of Ethiopia
Swarms of Desert Locust in Northern Regions of Ethiopia
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has issued an alert regarding the possibility of a full-scale upsurge of Desert Locust (DL) swarms in the Afar, Tigray, and Amhara regional states of Ethiopia unless immediate action is taken.
Addis Ababa, 27 August 2023: In its latest update on the DL situation, FAO confirmed the presence of solitary and gregarizing adults as well as immature swarms in the northern regions since the end of July 2023. These swarms pose a significant threat to farmers, as favorable weather conditions may lead to the hatching of locust eggs and their subsequent migration to adjacent regions. FAO is closely monitoring the situation in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and the Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA) to implement control measures before an upsurge occurs.
The MoA has dispatched survey and control teams to cover a land area of 62,000 hectares in Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions. As of 16 August 2023, the teams have successfully intercepted DL swarms on 12,653 hectares. Belayneh Desta, the Chief Executive Officer of the Plant Protection Directorate at MoA, highlighted some of the key challenges faced during the survey and control activities, including shortage of vehicles, subsistence and communication allowances, as well as the difficult mountainous terrain. Additionally, the presence of moving swarms in areas where apiculture is practiced, particularly in the Tigray region, has hindered the use of chemical applications, leaving physical control as the only option.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Farayi Zimudzi, FAO's Representative in Ethiopia, emphasized the need to reactivate the DL crisis taskforce and allocate necessary resources. Zimudzi stated, "We will mobilize all the required resources to control the swarms before they create a crisis for communities that are already struggling to recover from the effects of conflict and drought in these three regions." Furthermore, FAO's Desert Locust Information System (DLIS) at the headquarters is closely monitoring the movement of the current swarm in Ethiopia.
FAO Ethiopia leads the DL Taskforce, which includes members such as the Plant Protection Directorate of the MoA, DLCO-EA, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa. Felege Elias, Senior Information Officer at DLCO-EA pledged the organization's commitment to deploying its first aircraft for survey and control activities and actively participating in the DL control campaign.
FAO's Efforts in Past Desert Locust Crises in Ethiopia
In response to the government's call for emergency support during the Desert Locust upsurge at the beginning of 2020, FAO provided technical, financial, and coordination assistance from 2019 to 2022.
FAO procured various equipment, including field and survey vehicles, motorbikes, and insecticides, through collaborative efforts between FAO Headquarters, FAO East Africa Subregional Office (SFE) crops team, FAO Resilient Team of East Africa (RTEA), and FAO Ethiopia Office (FAOET).
The organization also provided direct financial support to enhance survey and control operations, and conducted training at different levels of government structures, including local-level scouts. Additionally, FAO offered technical support by recruiting logistics experts, DL Emergency Field Operations Specialists, Expert DL Management Technical Advisors, a DL Country Emergency Coordinator, a Pesticide Management Consultant, and an expert on Pesticide Drum Crusher, among others.