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Extreme wind and rain may lead to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks this year, predicts a study by an expert. Climate change is likely to intensify the weather patterns in Africa, which can intensify locust attacks on crops, leading to food shortages
Extreme wind and rain may lead to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks this year, predicts a study by an expert. Climate change is likely to intensify the weather patterns in Africa, which can intensify locust attacks on crops, leading to food shortages.
Locust attacks are mostly reported in eastern Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. The migratory insects travel in swarms of millions over long distances and damage crops. A swarm comprises 80 million locusts that can in one day consume food crops enough to feed 35,000 people and is termed as the most destructive migratory pest in the world and nis hard to control.
Xiaogang He, author of the study and an assistant professor at the National University of Singapore, said more frequent and severe extreme weather events due to climate change could add unpredictability to locust outbreaks. The study could help countries understand and address the impacts of climate variability on locust dynamics, particularly in the context of its repercussions on agricultural productivity and food security, and urge better regional and continental cooperation among countries.
To assess the risk of locust outbreaks in Africa and the Middle East and the connection to climate change, scientists analyzed incidents of desert locust outbreaks from 1985 to 2020 using the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Locust Hub data tool. The study found 10 countries, including Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Yemen, and Pakistan, experienced the majority of locust outbreaks among 48 affected nations.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/world-bank-aid-of-us-43-million-to-kenya-to-fight-locusts/
https://trendsnafrica.com/drc-also-swarmed-by-locusts-fao-cautions-of-severe-food-shortage/
The worst outbreak of desert locusts in 25 years struck East Africa in 2019 and 2020. The insects ravaged hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland and damaged crops, trees, and other vegetation, impacting food security and livelihoods. The financial impact of the locust attack is huge. The locust outbreak that happened in West Africa from 2003 to 2005, according to the World Bank, led to an estimated USD 2.5 billion in crop damage, it said.
