Last Thursday, the World Bank approved $ 500 million in aid to combat grasshopper invasion in Africa. Swarms of pests eat swathes through fields and pastures and destroy crops in Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. Somalia and other countries can also tap into the World Bank's aid fund.
The Horn of Africa is the epicenter of the invasion, which is the worst in a generation. 23 countries in East Africa, the Middle East and South Asia are already complaining about massive crop damage. Around 23 million people suffer from hunger in East Africa. Food worth up to USD 8.5 billion will be destroyed by grasshopper eating by the end of the year if no massive action is taken now. Even with the necessary control measures, the damage is already USD 2.3 billion.
Desert grasshoppers can fly up to 150 kilometers a day and the flocks can reach a length of up to 250 kilometers. You can consume green mass of your own body weight per day. In Kenya, grasshoppers destroy so much food in one day that Kenyans would eat in two days.
The World Bank program supports farmers, shepherds and the rural population with the purchase of fertilizers and seeds so that a new harvest can be planned, as well as with funds to buy food for their own acute needs or to rebuild their livestock. Early warning systems are also to be set up in the regions concerned to promote resilience.
Source
Hansa Terminhandel GmbH
