FAO and OCHA call for support against massive swarms of crop-destroying locusts

On 10 February 2020, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) co-hosted a briefing for the United Nations Members States and media on the topic of the desert locust upsurge that is taking place in the Greater Horn of Africa. The briefing was chaired by Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock, and it featured statements by FAO Director of Emergency and Rehabilitation Division Dominique Burgeon, as well as by Ambassador Lazarus O. Amayo, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations (UN), and Ambassador Gebeyehu Ganga, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the UN. Intervening was FAO Senior Locust Forecasting Officer Keith Cressman with the latest information from the field.

The Horn of Africa is currently facing the worst locust outbreak in decades –specifically the situation is the worst it has been for Ethiopia and Somalia in 25 years, and for Kenya in 70 years. The briefing serves as a call to the international community to take immediate action now to control the locust upsurge and protect the main harvests that will be planted in March. Crops and pastures are particularly threatened in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya; all of which are countries with pre-existing high levels of acute food insecurity. In these areas, pastoralists and farmers are dependent on crops and the regeneration of pastures and forage vegetation for their livelihoods, food security and nutrition. Failure to act now risks a significant humanitarian crisis unfolding in the coming months.

“The point I want to make today is one of urgency for the international community to provide assistance,” stressed USG Lowcock. “In a region where there's so much suffering, vulnerability and fragility, we simply cannot afford another shock.”

For FAO, tackling the desert locust upsurge is a matter of utmost importance, with Director-General Qu Dongyu declaring it as a corporate priority. In a video message that was screened during the briefing, Qu noted that “We have an opportunity now to avert a massive humanitarian disaster by controlling the locusts and protecting the livelihoods of rural populations.” He also referred to FAO’s actions in support of government-led locust control operations on the ground.

“The government of Kenya has been conducting aerial spraying and empowering local communities to respond from day one,” affirmed Ambassador Amayo. However, one party alone cannot manage the situation due to the magnitude of the outbreak, also spurred on by climate change. Specifically, in the past months, unusually heavy rains have been reported across East Africa, creating an ideal environment for locusts to breed.

“Ethiopia recognizes that there’s an immediate need to mobilize speedy and generous assistance for the affected areas,” stated Ambassador Gebeyehu, before adding that “strengthening the capacity of early warning systems is critical.”

FAO’s Dominique Burgeon warned that the swarms are spreading quickly, and have now reached Uganda and Tanzania. “The locust crisis sits at the intersection of climate change, conflict and vulnerability,” said Burgeon. “We need to get ready for large-scale damage in March and April when the planting season starts and the locusts will be at their most voracious stage.”

Leading expert on desert locusts, Keith Cressman, went on to explain how FAO uses highly trained teams to conduct precision spraying that targets locusts, and leaves flora and rest of the fauna unharmed. Notwithstanding, Cressman referred to locusts as “professional survivors”. Desert locusts fly during the day downwind for up to 150 km. There can be at least 40 million in each square kilometer of swarm. “They eat everything,” said Cressman. “We are seeing swarms the size of Manhattan eating the same amount of food as the entire population of New York and California in just one day.”

FAO urgently requires USD 76 million to contain the upsurge through rapid upscaling of locust control operations, and to support local populations recover from the shock. So far, only USD 21 million has been raised. Donors are strongly encouraged to act decisively before significant crop losses in key production areas deepen food insecurity levels in already vulnerable communities.

For more information on the event, including the FAO Director-General video message and the webcast of the briefing to the media, click here.

For up-to-date information on the desert locust upsurge, visit FAO’s dedicated webpage.