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Eritrea is one of the East African countries where desert locusts are a common threat, with outbreaks occurring almost every year, leading to food insecurity in the country. To this end, the Ministry of Agriculture has partnered with FAO and other regional organizations to combat locust outbreaks and ensure food production and nutrition for farming communities. While it may be impossible to control the movement of locusts, the project is using the power of data science to detect locust fluctuations and trajectories and trigger early response alerts. FAO, through its Desert Locust Information Service, has been monitoring and predicting possible threats to food production and in this regard has implemented the eLocust3 system in Eritrea. The tool allows national locust officers to record field observations made during survey and control operations and transmit the data in real time to the National Locust Centre via satellite. This data forms the basis of FAO’s Global Early Warning System. Ministry staff have also been trained to use the system to predict, monitor and assess locust movements.
Desert locusts are grasshopper-like pests that breed in the deserts of North Africa and the Near East. Under optimal climatic and ecological conditions – abundant rainfall, warm temperatures and lush vegetation – their numbers can increase rapidly, forming huge swarms that can devastate farmers’ fields within hours.
Due to Eritrea’s strategic location at the gateway to the Horn of Africa, countries in the region have made a joint commitment to fight the locust plague together. The Eritrean Government has prioritized pest control and is working closely with FAO to take preventive measures.
Implementation eLocust3 The system uses a small antenna on the roof of the vehicle connected to a satellite to quickly transmit data collected in the field to the Desert Locust Control Unit at the Ministry of Agriculture in Asmara. The data includes detailed information on habitat, ecology, weather, locusts, control and safety measures.
The latest locust survey confirmed that the number of desert locusts along the 1,200-kilometer coastline of the Red Sea was at normal levels in January 2016. Tedros Sim, head of the Desert Locust Control Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, said the survey was carried out in the coastal plain between Karola in the north and the port city of Massawa.
“Our survey teams made a total of 416 stops and based on the data we collected and analyzed, there is no threat of a locust outbreak,” he said, adding that only low densities of mating solitary adults and isolated mature solitary adults were found around the northern town of Meshimet. eLocust3 Devices are used to collect and transmit data.
Sium further reiterated that the successful use of eLocust3 The data collection device is the result of FAO training and technical support. The monthly cost of using the eLocust3 is covered by FAO’s Desert Locust Control Committee (CRC) in the Central Region. “The device provides a cost-effective mechanism to complement traditional data collection and monitoring methods,” he added.
Keith Cressman, Senior Agricultural Officer at FAO, on the effective management and use of eLocust3 The device is already in use in Eritrea, and other countries in the region are encouraged to follow suit: “The device recorded 416 data points without any errors,” Cressman said.
In 2014, FAO provided 14 eLocust3 equipment and launched a comprehensive and sustainable training programme to develop national master trainers. FAO/CRC also trained national field staff on various aspects of Desert Locust monitoring to improve their traditional surveys, reporting and information exchange.
The implementation of the early warning system is a major achievement in the fight against the locust plague, not only for Eritrea but for the entire region.
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