The data appear in a joint study by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the government of Ethiopia and were released at a time when new swarms of grasshoppers are expected to arrive in that region of Africa with even more potential. devastating, according to experts.
According to FAO, a “massive increase” in the number of locusts in the region would pose “an unprecedented threat to food security and the livelihoods of the people” as harvest season approaches.
Arising after heavy rains in recent months, thousands of locusts have invaded eastern Africa, causing significant damage in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti, Eritrea, Tanzania, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda.
In Ethiopia, these insects have devastated sorghum, corn and wheat plantations and have severely limited available grazing areas, FAO said.
According to the same organization, 75% of Ethiopians now need emergency food aid, especially in the regions of Somali (east) and Oromia (center and south).
According to FAO representative in Ethiopia, Fatouma Seid, efforts to contain the catastrophe, including sending food or money to farmers and pastors, are now also being complicated by measures to combat the covid-19 pandemic.
“While we strive to control locusts, it is vital to protect the livelihoods of the affected populations, especially now that the situation is being exacerbated by the covid-19 crisis,” he said.
Ethiopia has officially registered 74 cases of coronavirus infections, but the country has still carried out very few tests and experts fear that the health system will not be able to respond if there is an influx of sick people.
