IGAD Keen on Enhancing Regional Cooperation to Combat Transboundary Pest
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is seeking to establish a sustainable framework capable of effectively mitigating the impact of transboundary pests, thereby contributing to the overall agricultural stability and economic well-being of the IGAD region.
In a forum with senior experts and policymakers, joint project proposals were presented to build on the achievements of the World Bank-assisted Emergency Locust Response Project (ELRP) which seeks to refine coordination mechanisms, enhance technical expertise, and promote alignment of policies and regulations among IGAD nations.
The event brought together plant protection experts and policymakers from Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia to discuss how to foster collaboration, strengthen policies and institutions, and develop strategies to establish a sustainable framework capable of effectively mitigating the impact of transboundary pests across the IGAD region.
One of the experts Moses Mwesigwa Rwaheru, the Director of the Desert Locust Control Organisation (DLCO), had this to sya:
“These are the countries where breeding of desrt locusts take place and we believe that that early detection and early action will save the region from the devastating effects of invasions and upsurges of these migratory pests. You realize that for the last six decades member countries that came up with the DLCO (Desert Locust Control Organization) through an international convetion mandated it to coordinate the efforts to mitigate effects of migratory pests in the region.
And a lot of strides have been made despite the challenging effects of climate change. The 2019-2020 Desert Locust upsurge, was largely as a result of climate change, when we got swarms, there was a lot of intervention by the DLCOwhich flew aircrafts to Ethiopia where the swarms were, and the capacity was not enough. And that’s how, the World Bank, the member countries, FAO came in to mobilise resources. The alarm bells were rung because we have an early detection system but because there were no resources to come to our rescue, we needed just 3 Million US dollars to combat the problem.
But as you heard from my colleague, the region spent over 500 Million dollars instead of three. So that’s why we think and feel that when these frontline countries come together, to work through a project that can be funded by the member states, then we shall have mitigated the spread especially of desert locusts that invaded countries like Uganda and Tanzania after a period of over 70 years.
As mentioned, the problem of desert locust is what we addressing now through this project, but we have other migratory pests, such as the Quelea birds, the quelea birds are devastating cereals and grains in the region, especially in Ethiopia, in Kenya here where we are, and in Tanzania. Our aircraft spent over six months controlling Quelea birds in Tanzania. We also have this sort of problem in the Eastern part of Uganda where they grow rice and sorghum.
So quelea birds are also another devastating transboundary pest that we are trying to address. And as you asked, the problem of Quelea birds has escalated of late, one because of climate change effects which has affected the breeding and migration patterns of the birds. Then two, we have had an expansion in agricultural production due to irrigation.
Most of the countries, Ethiopia, Tanzania, they are expanding especially for rice, wheat and even for sorghum. And this has increased the occurrence of these migratory birds – the Quelea Birds. Each bird is estimated to eat 10 grams of grain a day, these birds fly in flocks of millions, so if a bird comes to your garden, it leaves you with nothing.
So when we come in with interventions of controlling these birds, by spraying, I have heard questions that why are you killing the birds? We are not eradicating the birds, we are only controlling for improved food security. When we do control of these quelea birds and other migratory pests, we save the countries revenue, because they would be importing to match the production deficit as a result of the birds’ devastation. If the birds destroy the rice, sorghum or wheat crop, the countries have to import. So now the foreign exchange is saved, they can’t send it to other countries to import what they can produce locally.
What we have to look at now is preparedness, of the member countries and of the regional bodies like the Desert Locust Control Organization. In 2019 when the upsurge came, we were not properly prepared. Because we had limited aircraft, and we had logistical challenges. But right now, the member countries have made strides in having preparedness strategies within the member countries, and also we are looking forward to having a better equipped DLCO, to be able to respond in time to save the situation. And we have heard different discussions even in this meeting, in my opening remarks, I was calling upon the member countries to honor their financial obligations to the organization so that it can be better equipped to respond to such upsurges going forward.”
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