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Farmers fight back against locusts - 15th March 2021

2020 was East Africa's worst year for locust swarms since the 1950s. The insects in their billions devoured crops and devastated grazing land, threatening the food security of millions of people in the Horn of Africa.

With the plagues continuing in 2021, one company has devised an innovative method of tackling the pests. The Bug Picture, a Kenyan NGO, is working with communities affected by the swarms to harvest the insects. The captured locusts are then used as an ingredient in animal feed and organic fertiliser for farms.

Due to the difficulty of catching the insects during the day, the locusts are collected at night. They’re picked off trees and shrubs by torchlight while they’re resting. Once the insects have been weighed, the harvesters are compensated for their labour.

The insects are crushed and dried, then milled and processed into a powder. This protein-rich substance can be used to substitute more expensive ingredients in fertiliser and feed for fish, chickens, cows and pigs.

So far, The Bug Picture's pest to profit programme has processed over two tonnes of locusts, but that constitutes only a tiny percentage of the insects' total population.

With no end in sight to East Africa's locust swarms, it is hoped that The Bug Picture's sustainable solution will give farmers a way to fight back against the plagues.