Thumbnail Image

Desert locust upsurge

Progress report on the response in West Africa, May–December 2020

Year of publication 2021

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 16 p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) By the end of December 2020, about 18 percent of the USD 50 million appeal has been mobilized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in preparedness and anticipatory actions to control desert locust swarms and safeguard livelihoods in West Africa and the Sahel following the release of its crisis appeal in May 2020. FAO’s Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Western Region (CLCPRO) secretariat and the countries at risk including Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, the Niger and Senegal activated their respective contingency plans to cope with the threat of a desert locust invasion from East Africa. Monitoring teams were deployed, trainings were conducted and procurement was launched. Although the imminent threat of an invasion from East Africa has significantly reduced since June 2020, FAO must remain vigilant and the capacity to conduct surveillance and coordination activities must be maintained. Early action to enhance preparedness in West Africa is especially important considering that 17.2 million people were projected to face acute food insecurity (Cadre Harmonisé Phase 3 and above) during the lean season (June–August 2020) in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, the Niger, Nigeria and Senegal according to the Cadre Harmonisé analysis released in March 2020. If an upsurge of desert locust had occurred in West Africa, this could have led to a significant decline in food security given compounding vulnerabilities (e.g. climate, conflict and COVID‑19 impacts). FAO is continuing to monitor the potential desert locust threat in the Sahel. FAO’s CLCPRO, together with FAO’s Regional Resilience, Emergency and Rehabilitation Office for West Africa/Sahel (REOWA) based in Dakar, is working closely with at-risk countries in anticipatory actions such as training, pre-positioning of resources and initiating impact assessment scenarios as well as ground and aerial surveillance operations.

Cite this content as:

​FAO. 2021. Desert locust upsurge – Progress report on the response in West Africa (May–December 2020). Rome.​


Language English

Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    West Africa | Desert locust crisis appeal, May–December 2020
    Anticipatory action and rapid response
    2020
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Recent forecasts by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have indicated a risk of locust invasion in West Africa from June 2020. From East Africa, some swarms could reach the eastern part of the Sahel and continue westwards from Chad to Mauritania. Surveillance and control teams will be mobilized across the region with a focus on Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and the Niger, and extended to Senegal. Countries such as Cameroon, the Gambia and Nigeria are also on watch in the event that desert locust spreads to these highly acute food-insecure countries. Since the region could be threatened in the coming months, FAO is strongly encouraging no regret investments in preparedness and anticipatory action to control swarms and safeguard livelihoods, given already high levels of acute food insecurity. Therefore, cost estimates for preparedness, anticipatory action and rapid response have been assessed. FAO’s Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Western Region and FAO’s subregional resilience team for West Africa and the Sahel are already working together with potentially affected countries for the implementation of anticipatory actions, such as training, pre-positioning of resources, initiating surveillance activities and control operations. The countries of the subregion most exposed to the threat of a locust invasion are Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, the Niger and Senegal. All of these countries are already facing the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which presents significant further risks to food security. Applying lessons from the 2003–2005 desert locust upsurge in West Africa and from the implementation of resilience programmes in the region, including its Early Warning Early Action approach, FAO is focusing on anticipatory action to avert a full blown food crisis, mainly by: scaling up support to governments to monitor and control the pest; and safeguarding livelihood interventions.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    SAHEL WEATHER AND CROP SITUATION REPORT - September 2000 2000
    Also available in:
    Following generally widespread and abundant precipitation over the main agricultural zones of the Sahel in July, rains remained abundant over the western half of the Sahel in early August, decreased in mid-August but resumed in late August. Rains were particularly abundant during the first dekad of August in Senegal (even causing flooding in several areas), The Gambia and Guinea Bissau, during the second dekad in Mauritania and during the third dekad in Mali. In the centre of the Sahel, precipit ation remained below normal in Burkina Faso, except in the south and west. In Niger, below normal rainfall was registered in late August while in Chad, growing conditions were favourable in the Sudanian zone but unfavourable in the Sahelian zone. Satellite images for the first dekad of September shows that cloud coverage remained over most agricultural zones of the Sahel but that intensity of the rains decreased significantly except in south-western Senegal, Gambia and Chad. Rainfall is notably well below normal in northern and south-eastern Senegal, western Mali and most parts of Niger. Crops are generally developing satisfactorily in the western half of the Sahel region. Reduced rains affected crop development in central and eastern Burkina Faso, most parts of Niger and the Sahelian zone of Chad. Improved rains are needed in these areas to avoid water stress or crop failure. Following good rains in July, pastures have regenerated satisfactorily throughout the pastoral zone s of the Sahel. Grasshopper attacks are reported in Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. Small scale Desert Locust breeding is in progress in southern and central Mauritania. Some locusts are probably present and breeding in the Adrar des Iforas of Mali and in Aïr of Niger.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    SAHEL WEATHER AND CROP SITUATION REPORT - June 2000 2000
    Also available in:
    The rainy season has started in late April or May in southern Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea Bissau and Mali, in the extreme south-west of Niger and the extreme south-east of Senegal; seasonably dry conditions prevail in the rest of Senegal, Cape Verde, The Gambia and Mauritania. This corresponds to the normal pattern in the Sahel, except for Niger where the onset of the rains is somewhat delayed. Satellite imagery for the first dekad of June shows a decrease in the intensity of the rains in the are as where they had started in Burkina Faso and Niger but a significant northwards movement of cloud coverage, indicating that rains progressed over the centre of Mali, Niger and Chad. Land preparation and plantings are in progress following the onset of the rains. Dry planting is also underway in Mauritania and Niger. Crops are emerging satisfactorily in southern Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali but improved rains are needed in the coming weeks . Seed availibility is generally adequate following above average to record harvests in most Sahelian countries in 1009. The pest situation is calm. A few Desert Locusts were reported in mid-April in south-eastern Aïr in Niger and during May in Adrar in Mauritania. Low numbers of adults are likely to appear in southern Mauritania and lay with the onset of the rains.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.