Up bid to curb locust risk
There is a mounting alarm over a new wave of desert locusts that could have serious repercussions for the country. The voracious insects have been breeding for several months and now pose a grave threat to national food security.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has warned that the new swarms breeding in Ethiopia, Somalia and Tanzania are going to seriously undermine Kenya’s ability to feed its people.
Many farmers fear being overwhelmed. In the coming weeks, the locusts that have been breeding near Tanzania, Ethiopia and Somalia borders will have matured and will be raring to go.
The first invasion some months ago caused a huge panic, as the pests raced southwards towards the Rift Valley grain basket after entering the country from Somalia. The frantic efforts by the authorities, including aerial sprays, appeared to have slowed down the invasion.
However, the threat was not eradicated. Indeed, the pests have been breeding and could strike after the new crop-planting season early next year.
Already, farms and vegetation are threatened in Taita-Taveta, Kilifi and Tana River counties. Over 3,000 acres of vegetation have been cleared by the pests, leaving 1,000 families in food distress. Mandera, Isiolo, Wajir, Garissa and Kitui are also battling swarms that arrived from Somalia in November.
According to the UN agency, without additional funding, locust control efforts could be badly slowed down, aggravating the situation. Farmers will require urgent assistance to survive the onslaught on their crops.
As the country grapples with the worst health crisis in more than a century, the Covid-19 pandemic, it is also facing the worst locust invasion in 70 years.
These twin challenges call for concerted efforts by the government, non-governmental organisations, including the UN agencies, and private sector participation to stem the grave danger to the people.
The spread of the pandemic must be curbed, as the deadly march by the swarms of locusts is also stopped.
