Desert Locust Upsurge: Progress report on the response in the Greater Horn of Africa and Yemen (January–April 2020)
Since the start of the desert locust upsurge in the Greater Horn of Africa and Yemen just over four months ago, and the subsequent launch of FAO’s crisis appeal in January, a total of USD 130 million has been mobilized (85 percent of the requested USD 153 million). Together with the governments of affected countries and the Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA), this funding will enable the control of 1 million ha of infested farmland and rangeland, protect the livelihoods of 110 000 households, and assist with providing information and coordination to stakeholders across the region. Across the ten countries covered by the appeal, over 365 000 ha have been controlled to date, of which an estimated 20 percent was infested by hopper bands and 80 percent by swarms. Thanks to these operations, and based on very preliminary analyses and projections of areas controlled and likely damage caused if not controlled, it is anticipated that 720 000 tonnes of cereal have already been saved, worth around USD 220 million. This is enough to feed almost 5 million people for one year. Through damage averted to rangeland and livestock tropical units, an additional 350 000 pastoral households have been spared from livelihood loss and distress.
