Hundreds of thousands of locusts have invaded crops in northern Afghanistan under the helpless gaze of farmers and their families already threatened by famine.
• Also read – Recurring droughts: Farmers look for solutions
In the remote village of Kandali in Balkh province, one of the country’s eight hardest-hit northern provinces, an impressive swarm of gray insects gathered in a fallow field to lay eggs, thwarting farmers’ efforts to eradicate them.
Equipped with nets, they caught the insects before burying them in ditches, but their numbers kept growing.
“They eat everything that’s green: wheat, peas, sesame,” and when they’re done, they lay their eggs, which hatch the following spring, Baz Mohammad, the village representative, complained to AFP news agency.
“We go with hungry stomachs to kill the locusts. If we don’t kill them, our agriculture will be ruined,” laments the energetic 50-year-old.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warns that about 1.2 million tons of wheat could be destroyed, a quarter of the annual harvest.
Losses caused by this insect pest, which is one of the most noxious in the world, could be as high as $480 million, she estimated.
overgrazing and drought
In a statement released last month, FAO official Richard Trenchard said conditions were “perfect” for an invasion involving “overgrazing, drought and very limited control measures”.
According to the United Nations Humanitarian Coordination (Unocha), Afghanistan is experiencing the third consecutive year of drought. According to residents, no rain has fallen in this village since March.
Amid protests from farmers bemoaning the lack of help, provincial official in charge of fighting these insects at the Ministry of Agriculture, Sifatullah Azizi, recognizes that treating 7,000 hectares across the province is not enough.
“We did what we could. To eradicate them, you need a budget, hiring workers, paying for fuel and products…” he justifies, embarrassed.
“It gets worse”
Afghanistan’s economy, already wracked by decades of war, is in crisis after billions of dollars in international aid were cut after the Taliban took power in August 2021.
According to the latest United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report, Afghanistan’s economy has collapsed and nearly 85% of the country lives in poverty.
“Afghanistan used to have a very effective locust control system. But that system has been severely eroded in the last two years,” stressed Mr Trenchard.
Abdul Raqib Kazimi, who alone provides for the livelihood of his 16 members, can only see the damage: “60 to 70%” of his land has been destroyed, including fodder. “We have to feed ourselves. “If there is no wheat, then there is no flour,” he says.
And the worst is yet to come, he fears: “Next year they will be out of my control again (…) If we don’t prevent them from laying eggs, all crops will be destroyed,” fears the 38-year-old farmer.
If left untreated, the Moroccan locust population could increase 100-fold over the next year, the FAO has warned.