East African bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), on Thursday launched an inter-regional platform for the sustainable management of desert locusts and other transboundary pests.
IGAD said the platform, developed to contain the desert locusts, aims to strengthen synergies, sustain management and control of desert locusts and other transboundary pests in the infested areas.
IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Center director Guleid Artan called for concerted efforts in managing the desert locusts across the region.
“The effective control and management of desert locust and other transboundary pests in the IGAD region and surrounding areas require a dedicated and sustained involvement of all the affected countries, international community, private sector and with all state and non-state stakeholders acting in a coordinated manner,” Artan said in a statement issued after the virtual launch.
He said the platform will also provide an effective and well-coordinated early warning system for continuous intensive surveillance and monitoring of desert locusts.
Keith Cressman, Senior Locust Forecasting Officer with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations emphasized the need to control the destructive pests in order to safeguard livelihoods. “The early warning functions perform extremely well thanks to inputs and efforts by the countries. However, the challenge is turning that early warning into action,” said Keith.
The greater Horn of Africa region has been grappling with desert locust invasion since 2019 amid a threat to food security for subsistence farmers and pastoralists.
According to IGAD, the region is facing the threat of recurrent infestation by the pests amid favorable ecological conditions such as regular rainfall and lush vegetation that is ideal for their breeding.
