Because a plague of locusts threatening crops in Africa and beyond

Because a plague of locusts threatening crops in Africa and beyond

In recent months, huge swarms of locusts, of which an area the size of New York more than three times as busy, devouring crops on the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, it is estimated that 20 million people at risk of leaving hunger. The first generation of the eggs start to hatch, and now even more swarms form, the countries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, Iran, Pakistan and India threatening, “represent an unprecedented threat to food security and media subsistence, “he says the UN ‘s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). desert locusts, but if the weather conditions are right, exploded usually solitary, their population. The explosion may create dense swarms, long travel distances longer than 90 miles a day in search of food. Warm weather and unusually heavy rains in the Horn of Africa provided at the end of 2019 to the wet ground, hatching eggs. From there, the insect spread rapidly, which saw one of the worst epidemics in the region in more than 70 years. A typical swarm, numbering 4 to 8 billion locusts can consume the same amount of food to 3.5 million people in a single day. Some swarms were so thick in some parts of Kenya, which did not prevent aircraft. Governments have resorted to widespread aerial spraying of pesticides, if available; in the poorest regions, where the planes are scarce, the soldiers fighting swarms with hand spray pumps, while farmers from clanging pots and pans take away try. FAO has appealed for $138 million dollars to support the call affected communities. If the locusts are not stopped by the new generation of doors, the effects could be disastrous: the FAO estimates that an additional 25 million people in the region could lose their crops and their livelihood. Scientists hope in Kenya, a new computerized monitoring program that combines satellite data with time-mapping software will help to predict the swarms next destination, the regional authorities to prepare sufficient time buying a response. But the travel restrictions related to the Crown have hampered relief efforts and response mechanisms. The locusts have no such travel restrictions. This looks 2020 issue of time April 6.
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