Africa: Locusts

Department for International Development written question – answered at on 12 May 2020.

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Photo of Rachael Maskell Rachael Maskell Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps her Department has taken to mitigate the effect of locust plagues in Africa.

Photo of James Duddridge James Duddridge Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) (Joint with the Department for International Development)

We are deeply concerned about the devastating locust outbreak in East Africa, which is destroying crops, livelihoods and essential food supplies. It is compounding the impact of humanitarian disasters, conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic, putting millions of people at risk of food insecurity.

To date the UK has provided £7 million to FAO’s regional appeal for surveillance, control and coordination activities, and the Department for International Development (DFID) has significant humanitarian and development programmes in the affected regions that are adapting to support vulnerable communities in response to the outbreak. The Desert Locust Control Organisation for Eastern Africa, based in Nairobi, has also been using a DFID-funded super computer to predict movements of locusts and geographically target the response.

Our support is having an immediate impact. We continue to monitor the situation closely and are ready to help further.

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