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FAO warns of larger-than-usual desert locust infestations in North Africa; urges intensified monitoring and control
Summary
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization warned that desert locust swarms arrived in parts of North Africa this breeding season and urged countries to step up surveillance and control measures to limit crop losses.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) told the briefing that locust activity intensified from late February through March, with swarms arriving in central Algeria, western Libya and southern Tunisia. FAO urged countries to conduct intensive ground surveys across key breeding areas from the south of the Atlas Mountains into the Sahara.
Why it matters: Desert locusts are among the world's most destructive migratory pests; FAO warned that a single square kilometer of swarm can contain tens of millions of adult locusts and has the capacity to consume large quantities of food in a single day, threatening crops and food security in affected areas.
The FAO briefing noted that favorable ecological conditions have produced a larger-than-usual infestation this breeding season and called for early monitoring and control measures to prevent wider crop damage. FAO recommended ground surveys across likely breeding areas spanning Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya and urged prompt, coordinated control action where swarms are detected.
