Desert locusts threaten food security in East Africa and beyond

Towards the end of 2019, a severe dry spell across East Africa was followed by two similarly intense cyclones, ultimately ushering in a swarm of desert locusts. Initially confined to Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya, the locusts have since spread to 15 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Desert locusts are noted for their ability to multiply very quickly—increasing their population by up to 20 times every three months—which facilitates their extensive spread. If this invasion of pests continues, the consequences will be devastating. According to Foreign Policy, a swarm of locusts can consume the amount of food that it would take to  in a single day and can move at speeds near 100 miles per day. The chief concern is food insecurity, especially as the region enters another growing season and whole crops face the risk of being consumed before they are harvested. If food insecurity increases, up to three million people could be left without food while the corresponding threat of resource conflict will be exacerbated. 

It is widely acknowledged that the global south will feel the impacts of climate change most acutely. These recent swarms, described by National Geographic as “like nothing in recent memory,” are an indication of what these impacts will look like. According to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, “there is a link between climate change and the unprecedented locust crisis plaguing Ethiopia and East Africa […] warmer seas mean more cyclones generating the perfect breeding ground for locusts. Today, the swarms are as big as major cities and it is getting worse by the day.” Unless serious action is taken to stop the continued spread of locust swarms, countries’ worst fears about food insecurity could be realized.

Measures employed to combat the swarms have taken a variety of forms, namely: traditional chemical spraying, a supercomputer, and ducks. Mass chemical spraying was deployed across affected regions, but with seemingly little effect. Furthermore, experts cite concerns about potential long-term impacts on the environment and health. However, Scientific American reports that “ecological damage is highly unlikely” and “every precaution to protect human health and the environment” is being taken. Regardless of its impact, the feasibility of chemical spraying is easily limited by various contextual factors. For example, the local security situation prevents planes carrying insecticide from flying over Somalia, according to the BBC. 

Supercomputers are utilized to combat such outbreaks through predicting the movement and potential future breeding grounds of the locusts. They help the chemical spray zero in on specific locations rather than mass-spraying every suspected area, thus mitigating environmental harm. Additionally, knowledge of where the swarms are headed can help areas to prepare for the oncoming crisis. 

Lastly, a third approach to the locusts comes from China: an army of ducks. These ducks will be deployed to Pakistan to combat the pests and prevent them from entering China. The duck army is reportedly expected to arrive in the later half of 2020 and it is hoped that it will be even more effective than chemical spraying, as “one duck is able to eat more than 200 locusts a day.” While an interesting approach, it is not free of environmental hazards; the flocks of ducks that will be left in Pakistan after the battle with the locusts concludes have the potential to create an ecological imbalance.

Regardless of the method, significant funding is necessary to adequately address the crisis. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, $76 million is required to prevent locust swarms from developing into a humanitarian crisis. While desert locusts are one of the oldest pests to plague humankind, the scale and scope of the outbreak have been enhanced by unusual weather patterns that are likely the result of climate change. Avoiding a second surge of desert locusts must be a top priority in order to protect an already vulnerable region.