Somalia has now declared a national emergency as locusts continue to invade the country and parts of east Africa.
Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan are all struggling to cope with the invasion of the pest for the last one month.
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said that the grasshopper swarms can be up to one kilometre wide.
They contain up to 80 million hungry little pests, and travel up to 130 kilometres per day.
Somalia;s Ministry of Agriculture said the insects pose “a major threat to Somalia’s fragile food security situation”.
The insects have destroyed over 175,000 acres of farmland in Somalia and Ethiopia, threatening food supplies in both countries.
An average swarm of locusts will destroy crops sufficient to feed 2,500 people for a year, according to the United Nations.
The FAO has termed the invasion the “worst situation in 25 years” in the Horn of Africa.
Desert Locust, a transboundary pest with the ability to spread over large areas can cause considerable damage to pasture and crops.
Outbreaks occur periodically but are complex to predict. When not managed at the place of origin or breeding ground, they can lead to losses of up to 100 percent of food and fodder crops.
A typical Desert Locust swarm can contain up to 150 million locusts per square kilometre.
The FAO has now warned that the locust may be heading to the Western part of the continent.
More than $500 Million was spent to control a locust invasion in 20 countries in Africa in 2003.
The UN has called for international help to fight huge swarms of desert locusts sweeping through east Africa.
Source: Africafeeds.com
