The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported in their most recent update of March 16, that in Kenya and Ethiopia, locust swarms are declining due to local control efforts and the lack of breeding. The region has been unusually dry; the immature locusts can’t mature and breed until the rainy season begins; showers are expected at the end of the month. The regional forecasts predict a lower-than-average rainfall, restricting the growth and spread of new swarms.
For Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the situation is somewhat calm, with ongoing control operations and low rainfall, only isolated bands of hoppers or a few adults have been seen, although in all areas the situation continues to be closely monitored.
Last year, Pakistan began an effort to encourage their farmers to collect locusts at night, when they perch on plants and are motionless in the cool air, and easier to capture. The government is paying them by the kilogram, and the locusts are then ground up, dried and incorporated into chicken feed.
