The recent invasion of destructive migratory pests across some of the countries in the Horn of Africa including Kenya, has forced the Intergovernmental Authority Development – IGAD to nip in the bud the predisposing factors by targeting frontline member states.
The measures were adopted during a four-day high-level ministerial meeting on enhancing regional cooperation to combat transboundary pests held in Nairobi. The meeting brought together senior experts and government officials from Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti countries which are considered frontline countries when it comes to desert locusts.
According to experts the region remains at high risk of desert locusts and other migratory infestations and invasions due to climate change hence the need for increased vigilance in preparedness and surveillance to increase early warning actions.
“We have frontline countries and invasion countries. Frontline countries are where the breeding of these migratory pests takes place especially desert locusts. You will notice that migratory pests don’t need passports to cross at the borders, so we believe when these three countries mitigate the effects then the rest of the countries in the region will be safe,” said Moses Mwesigwa, Director Desert Locust Control Organization for East Africa (DLCO-EA)
“These three countries are considered frontline countries when it comes to desert locusts specifically, so they have come together to agree and build on what other countries and regional organizations have done to help solve the problem and mitigate the effect of these migratory pests,” added Abdi Fidar, IGAD Food Security, Nutrition and Resilience Analysis Hub Coordinator (IFRAH)
The major pests that migrate across the borders include the Desert Locusts, Quelea bird, and African and Fall Armyworms which cause significant damage to crops and pastures subsequently posing a serious threat to the region.
The recent pests outbreak was in 2019-2022 when IGAD says thousands of tonnes of crop and hectares of pasture were destroyed, impacting the region’s food security and the well-being of communities, especially pastoralists and subsistence farmers.
“There was also environmental impact from pesticide usage. In Ethiopia 70% of the bees were destroyed at that time because of the use of pesticides and the environmental impact it had,” said Abdi, IGAD-IFRAH Coordinator
“Why we emphasize focusing on frontline countries is because when it comes to swarms for desert locusts there is no other options apart from using chemicals. If we focus on the frontline countries when the pests are still in young stages we use bio-pesticides which are harmless to the environment but chemicals have environmental effects on humans, and water bodies, that’s why we are coming up with this approach to addressing the problem before it escalates to cause more impacts,” advised Mwesigwa, Director DLCO-EA
Experts say they don’t expect a serious upsurge of the desert locusts this year because they are seasonal, however, the problem of Quelea birds is increasing. In 2019 the invasion is said to have been caused by climate change and instability in some parts of the region and the world where the desert locusts could not be controlled in time.
“While member states, development and regional organizations swung in to address the invasion it cost more than $350m to solve a problem that could have cost at most $3m if it could have been averted and solved at the grassroots level,” noted Mwesigwa, Director DLCO-EA
However, the key setback the region needs to deal with is limited capacity in terms of knowledge, regulations, and enforcement and technology is the key setback the region needs to deal with.
“Capacity is the most important factor; we have to improve and enhance not only institutional capacity but also individual capacity. We need to use drones, satellite data and other cutting-edge facilities and techniques like Artificial intelligence, and machine learning so we are able to predict what’s coming; that’s why we are trying to improve the capacity,” said Abdi, IGAD-IFRAH Coordinator
“The challenge is always there, the most important question is do we have the capacity and how prepared are we to address this challenge. The 2019 upsurge was an eye-opener. Countries reinvigorated their efforts in enhancing preparedness by having mechanisms and strategies to address this issue of migratory pests, and I believe now Kenya is more prepared than it was in 2019,” added Mwesigwa, Director DLCO-EA
Member states have been advised to set priority for short- and medium-term activities to strengthen transboundary pest survey, monitoring, forecasting, and early warning systems. Those who receive early warning alerts are expected to give rapid responses for timely management of the pests.
