For thousands of years, plagues of desert locust have been a threat to agricultural production in Africa and western Asia.

Swarms of the migratory insect can devastate crops as they fly in great numbers in search of food. Desert locusts are normally solitary, scattered insects but when climatic conditions are favorable, for example after good rains and a mild temperature, they can rapidly increase in number.

A Desert Locust adult can consume roughly its own weight in fresh food per day. A tiny fraction of an average swarm of locusts eats the same amount of food in one day as about 2,500 people.

Locust inflicted damage is geographically patchy and sporadic. Where the swarms of locusts do not land, losses do not occur. Where the swarms land and feed, crop loss can be 100% within hours.

Since last year, favorable ecological conditions and regular rainfalls in particular have allowed for a more rapid reproduction of locusts throughout Sahelian West Africa. To date, approximately 3.5 million hectares are at risk in the Sahel from the locust invasion.

In October, the swarms of desert locusts began moving north from the Sahel to winter breeding grounds in North Africa. New control efforts may be required in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya in the coming months, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). However, large swarms remain in the Sahel and control operations have intensified with regional and international donations of additional aircraft, pesticides, and equipment. Current control efforts are focused on protecting crops and pastureland. Throughout the affected countries in the region, more than 350,000 ha were treated in the first half of October, according to FAO.

To date, USAID has provided more than $7.4 million to support control efforts in the affected countries in the Sahel. USAID/OFDA has deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), comprised of locust emergency personnel, throughout the region to provide technical assistance to national governments and help coordinate the USG response to the locust emergency.

USAID/OFDA has also provided six crop-dusting planes, capable of spraying a total average of 7,500 hectares per day, for regional control efforts. These planes began aerial spraying on October 12 and are conducting priority spraying operations in north-south corridors across the borders of Senegal and Mauritania, on either side of the Senegal River, and may expand operations into Mali as needed. The campaign is focused on protecting crops and pastureland in affected areas and will continue for an initial 30-day period.