Locusts in the times of COVID.
Locust invasion have been observed in East Africa with Kenya the most hit. Joint efforts have been made to response to invasions that are destroying crops in the field.
The first wave of locust invasion in Kenya was reported in January 2020 affecting numerous crops in farms and forage especially in the Arid and Semi Arid lands (ASALs) of the country. Populations living in ASALs in Kenya mainly depend on farming and pastoralism as their main livelihood activities. In addition to experiencing frequent drought episodes and flash floods, the communities in these areas also encounter frequent resource based conflicts as a result of unavailability of water and forage.
For sure,desert locusts invasions have made the situation worse espicially in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic. Globally, countries are feeling the negative effects of the pandemic to the economy. Moreover, the government is paying more response attention to the pandemic compared to locust invasion leaving communities in distress as they sink deeper into poverty.
