Chemical mace against biblical plague?
Since 2019 the horn of Africa and several East African countries are facing a huge desert locust outbreak. This eruption originated on the Arabian Peninsula where the unusual powerful tropical cyclone “Mekunu” made landfall in May 2018, causing heavy rainfalls later on in Saudi Arabia. These rainfalls eventually led to the creation of desert lakes in the “Empty Quarter” of Saudi Arabia and to conditions that were perfect for the development of desert locusts from eggs to breeding adults. Usually the dry conditions in the region would kill large amounts of that breed, but in October 2018 cyclone “Luban” followed, providing excellent conditions for the survival of the insects. The outbreak spread to Yemen, where the unstable political situation prevented a coordinated and coherent response. By the end of 2019 cyclone “Pawan” facilitated the migration of the locust to East Africa.
Climate change led to the locust outbreak that is the worst in 70 years in Kenya. Here in January 2020 one single swarm of the insects covered an area of approximately 2,400 km2. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) one square kilometer of locust consumes as much food as 35,000 people. Statistics published by FAO in March 2021 show that locust number increased 400-fold within six months putting 42 Million people in severe acute food insecurity in the affected regions.
To control the insects at least 2 million liters of pesticides were sprayed of which 95% are scientifically proven to harm humans, birds, fish, and bees. The chemical mace hence kills locust predators that might not easily recover from the use of these “chemical weapons of mass destruction”, and it kills beneficial insects that are important natural pollinators of food plants for humans. In addition, half of the anti-locust pesticides contain chlorpyrifos, a pesticide that is banned in the EU, because it is linked to brain damage in children and fetuses.
The situation obviously presents a dilemma between the need to protect people and their harvests from huge swarms of locusts and protecting people and the environment from harmful insecticides.
The following measures might contribute to long-term solutions:
1. Combat climate change, to prevent cyclones and extreme weather events that accelerate locust outbreaks
2. Apply nature-based solutions such as divers production systems for food that support biodiversity to improve habitat and conditions for locust predators
3. Replace harmful anti-locust pesticides with environment-friendly alternatives such as neem oil
Two other aspects are interesting in that context. According to the FAO 30,000 families in South Sudan received a large variety of vegetable seed and essential farming tools in late 2020 bringing them “from a destroyed field to a bountiful vegetable farm in a few months” by March 2021. So maybe, we only need short-term help for small-hold farmers in the affected regions (instead to chemicals). And: Locusts are not only on the menu of animals from arthropods to monkeys, they themselves could be food for humans. A comprehensive report published in 2013 notes that 1,900 species of insects are known to be consumed by humans, and that insects are part of the traditional diets of at least 2 billion people globally. You don’t have to travel far to try insect as food. Recently several start-ups in Europe entered the market with insect energy-bars and snacks. So maybe someday basic “pop-up” factories to process locusts to tasty dishes might be part of the solution.