livelihood of farmers and other food growers in East Africa is under attack from locusts. Authorities say swarms of millions of locusts are ravaging large swathes of farmland and vegetation. Millions of people are at risk after insects destroyed crops in Eritrea, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda. swarms of locusts are spreading and could affect agriculture, bushland and forests of neighbouring countries. United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) report that some swarms have been sighted as far afield as Yemen and Oman in Gulf. It is worst locust invasion in 70 years and some say it is reaching Biblical proportions.
locust invasion is seriously affecting lives of over 12 million people. Many of these were already experiencing food insecurity due to poor harvests from lack of rain. swarms of locusts will only worsen plight of people living in region. Locusts are extremely voracious pests. One locust can eat its entire body weight in just 24 hours. small swarm could chomp its way through enough food to feed 35,000 people in just one day. Esther Kithuka, farmer in Kenya, expressed her concern about invasion. She said: "We depend lot on this season and we worry that the locusts will destroy our harvest and we will end up remaining hungry through the rest of year [until] next cropping season."
