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Preparedness and Emergency Response to Locust Infestations in the Kyrgyz Republic - TCP/KYR/3801

Year of publication 2022

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 9

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Project

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Moroccan and Italian locusts periodically plague Kyrgyzstan, where approximately two thirds of the population depend on agriculture During outbreaks, these pests attack rangelands and crops, jeopardizing the livelihoods and food security of rural populations The main historical breeding areas of the Moroccan locust are located in the Fergana valley, at the junction of three Central Asian countries ¬ Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan ¬ with outbreak centres located in Kyrgyzstan, in foothill pastures and hills When ecological conditions are favourable for laying eggs, the resulting hopper bands and swarms cause important damage to crops and pastures not only in Kyrgyzstan but also in the two other neighbouring countries In recent years, locust infestations have been observed where they were not previously detected, and their distribution ranges are expanding, reaching high altitudes (over than 2 000 m above sea level) Scientists associate this with global climate change Forecasts for 2020 predicted a locust outbreak in Kyrgyzstan on an estimated area of 120 000 hectares, with the potential to cause disastrous crop losses and food insecurity in the country and in the Central Asia region These projections made pest control operations necessary to prevent vulnerable, small scale family farmers, who constitute over 90 percent of landowners in the three countries of the region, from losing their livelihoods and a potential food crisis.

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