Biological pest control helps tackle swarms of desert locusts in Africa
This article was originally published on the CABI BioProtection Portal blog. Visit the original blog post here. Biopesticides have been leading the non-chemical pest control assault on swarms of locusts in Somalia, helping to control, without the use of harmful chemical pesticides, one of the most destructive agricultural pests in world: Schistocerca gregaria, commonly known as the desert locust.
Combating desert locusts: a CABI interview
The destructive force of desert locusts and grasshoppers can devastate crops across many regions of Africa and Asia, with swarms of locusts capable of causing widespread damage to crops, severely damaging livelihoods and increasing the risk of acute food instability. CABI has been using its extensive expertise in managing invasive insects, through early action and…
CABI research on desert locusts helps safeguard the food crops of millions
In 2019-2020, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), around 20 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda faced acute food insecurity due to swarms of desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria). In Kenya, the outbreak represented the worst locust crisis in 70 years; by its peak, the country was tackling over…