East Africa is Facing More Than a Pandemic

As much of the world faces a global crisis, as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, East Africa is battling a plague of biblical proportions – a swarm of locusts.

Earlier this year, several East African nations were hit with a locust invasion that devastated crops and laid waste to farmland. Now, a second wave is threatening to do much more.

Considered one of the worst locust invasions in decades, the region is already tackling food scarcity which threatens to become worse as a second generation of insects begin to take flight, just as the new crop season begins. Experts have estimated that the second wave could be 20x the size of its predecessor.

The insects have already destroyed up to 25 million hectares in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. A swarm of locusts can easily feed on crops made for 35,000 people to eat within a day, highlighting the devastating impact the insects will have, particularly on a rural population that largely relies on agriculture.

Climate change, as usual, plays a significant part in the locusts’ re-emergence. The last year has brought unusually wet weather to the region, with several cyclones appearing in eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. This, in turn, creates an optimal breeding ground for the locusts.

“…widespread rains that fell in late March will allow the new swarms to mostly remain, mature and lay eggs while a few swarms could move from Kenya to Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia. During May, the eggs will hatch into hopper bands that form new swarms in late June and July, which coincides with the start of the harvest,” said a report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Locust Watch in early April. With more rainfall expected, the UN FAO has raised its aid appeal from $76 million to $153 million.

Pesticides are usually used to fight off the swarm, but due to travel restrictions and lockdowns, farmers have not been able to receive deliveries of pesticides and other essential equipment in time. Shipping costs have also sky rocketed.

However, if the situation isn’t controlled, the swarms could grow to 400x the size by June causing further devastation to livelihoods and worsening food scarcity in a region that is already grappling with widespread famine and poverty. According to the FAO, 40% of the Horn of Africa’s 160 million population are undernourished.

Facing a global pandemic and crop-eating insects, the international community must step in to support East African nations in this challenging time.

Photo Credit: National Geographic

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Aisha Mohamed

Journalist at Truly Belong

Aisha Mohamed is a young journalist, particularly focusing on culture and entertainment.
With experience in both communications and PR, Aisha also works as a digital artist in her free time. Her work has been featured in the likes of CNN Africa, Buzzfeed, VH1 and more.

As a magazine focused on sustainability and the environment, Aisha is committed to writing about environmental challenges across the globe, especially in countries that may not have had extensive exposure. She is also dedicated to highlighting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the long process to achieving them.