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Kenya is expected to face a second wave of desert locusts in November after the first hit earlier this year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned, stressing that the situation remains worrying in the Horn of Africa and could deteriorate further. this month due to recent playback.
In an update report on the desert locust situation released on October 5, FAO said there will be an increased threat of swarm migration from Yemen, northeastern Ethiopia and northern Somalia to southern eastern Ethiopia and the central Somalia in October that could spread to northern Kenya in November, resulting in the second wave for the country.
Lobster numbers, the worst in three generations, increased in East Africa and the Red Sea region in late 2019 and early this year, encouraged by unusually wet weather and dispersed by record numbers of cyclones. The pests could cost East Africa and Yemen $ 8.5 billion this year, the World Bank said. Swarms can fly up to 150 kilometers (93 miles) a day in the wind, and a single one-square-kilometer (0.39-square-mile) swarm can eat as much food in a day as 35,000 people. Desert locusts feed on almost all vegetation and crops, including leaves, flowers, bark, fruit, millet, and rice.
Aerial spraying is the only effective way to control the locust outbreak. After the locusts crossed into Uganda for the first time since the 1960s, soldiers turned to the use of portable spray bombs due to difficulties in obtaining the necessary aircraft.
FAO also reported that threats are looming for the countries of Central and East Africa. In September, the UN agency warned that locusts could endanger up to 7 million people in the southern region, further aggravating food insecurity. Outbreaks of migratory African locusts in Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are unrelated to the billions that have affected East Africa for months, FAO said.
While much smaller, the southern outbreaks need quick attention to avoid a broader problem, as farmers and others are already struggling to recover from last year’s drought and the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. the UN agency said in a statement. A swarm of voracious insects “can eat enough food for 2,500 people in one day,” reported a separate FAO paper on outbreaks in southern Africa. A single swarm can contain millions of locusts.
