Brown Locusts Threaten Sub-Saharan Africa’s Crop Production

Maize (Corn)

South Africa

Published May 23, 2021

According to CropLife South Africa, a non-profit organization advocating for the South African plant science industry, the recent vast outbreaks of brown locusts (Locustana pardalina) in Southern Africa could cause severe damage to crops. Significant outbreaks have been reported in Namibia, Botswana, and the Karoo area of South Africa. Reports have confirmed stationary swarms of 2km by 1km in diameter, with crop damage spreading across staple crops such as maize and millet. According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), migratory locusts threaten the food security of approximately 7 million people in Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. A single swarm can eat as much in one day as 2500 people, demolishing crops and livestock pasture in a matter of hours.

Damage caused by the outbreaks

In the Northern Communal Areas of Namibia, 719K ha of natural grazing has been destroyed by the swarms. The locust outbreaks have attacked 1,200ha of crop fields in 10 of Namibia’s 14 regions containing maize and pearl millet crops. Namibia has already faced three outbreaks in the 2020/21 season. According to Reuters, the hardest hit is Namibia’s Karas region along the South African border, with 775K ha of grazing land affected. The locusts have also caused extensive damage to grazing land in the Zambezi and Ngamiland regions in Botswana. The outbreaks in South Africa, Namibia, Angola, and Botswana form a single complex developed after the good rainfall in 2020/21. If unattended to brown locust outbreaks may reach plague proportions.

*A swarm of locusts on a Maize field in South Africa. (Source: Farmers Weekly)*

According to Agri Northern Cape, a non-profit agricultural organization, the brown locust infestations across South Africa have obliterated all recent records during the 2020/2021 season. The current outbreak began in September 2020 and is still ongoing, covering substantial parts of the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape. The locust swarms have reached as far as the borders of the Free State and North West. This is the first outbreak in South Africa to cover such a large area and last long enough for the locusts to undergo four life cycles in one season. According to Agri Northern Cape, the locusts reached 90 days and produced eggs five times up to 130 days. Usually, locust outbreaks begin in October and November and end early next year, allowing the insects to complete only two cycles. This time the outbreaks started in September 2020 in the Karoo region, and at the moment, locust swarms are still occurring deep into the Kalahari.

Outbreaks contained

According to FAO, several international bodies and local farming organizations have started providing technical and material assistance to combat the locusts. These organizations include FAO, the Southern African Development Community, the International Red Locust Control Organisation for Central and Southern Africa, and the governments of affected countries. The start of the winter and accompanying frost is expected to halt any further outbreaks and kill off the current swarms.

According to the Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform and pest control experts, if locust swarms are not controlled and monitored correctly, the situation will worsen. The next swarm is anticipated in September 2021, and authorities have urged farmers to report swarms as soon as they are detected, as early detection is significant in stopping the outbreak.