Technical Workshop on Locusts in Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA), 10-14 November 2025

Provisional Agenda

Opening

1. Opening

2. Election of Chairman, Vice-Chairman & Drafting Committee

3. Adoption of the Agenda

Session 1: National 2025 locust campaigns and forecasts for 2026

4. National anti-locust campaigns in 2025, forecasts for 2026 and preparation of the next campaigns

Session 2: Programme implementation and capacity strengthening in 2025

5. Overview on Programme implementation in 2025

6. Regional cooperation:

6.1 Monthly national and regional bulletins: follow up on harmonizing the locust situation classification and inserting maps

6.2 Cross-border surveys

6.3 Country-to-country visits: visit of Turkmen Experts to Tajikistan (State Entity “Locust Control Expedition”) and to Uzbekistan (Quarantine and Plant Protection Department)

7. National capacities’ development in 2025

7.1 National training sessions or briefing sessions on locust management

7.2 Update on background literature on locust pests in CCA

7.3 Equipment delivered in 2025 to strengthen operational capacities

Session 3: Developing monitoring and analyzing systems

8. Developments of ASDC in 2025 (situation update, issues encountered, lessons learnt and recommendations) and next steps for 2026

9. Developments of CCALM in 2025 (progress made, issues encountered, lessons learnt and recommendations) and next steps for 2026

Session 4: Towards the use of more efficient control methods and biopesticides in CCA

10. National trials with biopesticide Metarhizium acridum

11. Expanding the range of available pesticides and biopesticides for locust control

12. Use of drones in locust management

Session 5: Risk reduction for human health and the environment

13. Monitoring impact of locust control operations, including the work of the Human Health and Environment Monitoring (HH&Env) Teams and on-the-job training in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

14. Testing of the new Human Health and Environmental Monitoring (HH&Env) Form in ASDC

15. Testing/use of the Locust Pesticide Management System (Locust-PMS) – pilot activity in Georgia

Session 6: Locust Programme in CCA: what is next?

16. Programme of work during 2026

17. Resource mobilization and future perspectives

18. Towards a permanent body for locust management in CCA

19. Sharing the experience of the FAO Desert Locust Commission in the Central Region