Economics of desert locust control

Recent progress in Desert and Migratory Locust management in Africa. Are preventative actions possible ?

“…Locusts are capable of causing total crop loss within hours at a local level (FAO 1994b, Steedman 1990). However, this information on damage was recently considered too outdated or too imprecise, particularly when used for cost-benefit analyses (Krall & Herok 1997), and the economic importance of locusts has been questioned. Some now consider that locusts and grasshoppers are relatively minor pests, even during upsurges, in terms of overall crop losses, although localized damage may be devastating for…”

“…They conclude that the strategy being pursued today does not make economic sense in terms of costs and benefits. They ask for a prompt reconsideration of the currently applied locust control strategy (Krall & Herok 1997).…”

“…In opposition to the current preventative strategy, Krall & Herok (1997) think that control should be focused only on protecting crops and that preventative control measures in the most remote areas should be reconsidered.…”

“…Such alternatives are still studied and some consider farmer insurance as a competitive strategy (Krall & Herok 1997, Hardeweg 2001. For many involved in locust control, they nonetheless appear somewhat unrealistic, and little adapted to the economic and social reality of most countries concerned.…”

Life Dynamics Cellular Modelling and Simulation

“…The remission is the period between two invasions. Gregarious individuals are responsible for considerable damage caused to crops with potential social, economical and environmental disaster in tropical countries [5].…”