Famine risk for millions in second locust wave

sci-dev ^ | 5/27/20 | Nelson Mandela Ogema , Fiona Broom

[Roman_War_Criminal]

A second wave of desert locusts in Africa and Asia is threatening famine for millions as critical resources are directed towards the COVID-19 crisis, scientists warn.

Desert locusts are already swarming in East Africa and breeding in Iran and Pakistan, as well as Yemen, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says.

The outbreak, which has been raging since last year, has so far placed around 20 million people at acute food insecurity in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania, according to the FAO. “The biggest challenge we are facing at the moment is the supply of pesticides and we have delays because global air freight has been reduced significantly.” Cyril Ferrand, FAO resilience team leader for East Africa

Swarms have “been damaging crops and pastures and crippling communities in the Greater Horn of Africa, Arabian Peninsula and Southwest Asia” since October, explained World Resources Institute climate programme research analyst Tina Huang.

However, without action the locust population “could grow 400 times larger by June 2020 and spread to new areas, disrupting food supply, upending livelihoods and requiring substantial resources to address”, the World Bank says.

[Moltke]

But what about Mother Russia?

She'd fill the gaps and spill over into the sea a bit. Especially at any age past 30.

[Fai Mao]

He dissected locust that he found frozen in glasiers. That is how he came to his conclusion.