- Outbreaks of transboundary pests, including the notorious desert locusts, have magnified the vulnerability of Kenya, in particular to the impacts of climate change.
- According to the 2023 Global Crop and Food Crisis report prepared by FAO, IGAD, and World Food Programme (WFP), approximately 56 million people in the IGAD region are currently facing severe levels of food insecurity.
- As Kenya and its East African counterparts strive to enhance their transboundary pest control strategies, the ultimate goal remains clear: achieving sustainable development and peace across the region.
In recent years, the East African region, including Kenya, has faced escalating challenges posed by transboundary pests.
These pests, notably desert locusts, have wreaked havoc on agricultural landscapes, jeopardizing food security, livelihoods and efforts toward sustainable development.
In response, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), in collaboration with member states and development partners, has embarked on comprehensive and innovative ways to tackle this pressing issue.
While addressing the media at Serena Hotel on August 9, Dr. Guleid Artan, Director of IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Centre (ICPAC), noted that managing pest infestations requires coordination and collaboration between member countries and beyond.
“The desert locusts follow vegetation, rain and wind. We are therefore creating a platform and a regional and inter-regional coordination mechanism,” he said.
This feature delves into the concerted efforts to strengthen transboundary pest control in Kenya and highlights the collaborative strategies in the East African Region.
A multi-dimensional challenge
Over 83 percent of the Kenyan landmass is Arid and Semi-arid land (ASAL), meaning rainfall variability is predominant.
Outbreaks of transboundary pests, including the notorious desert locusts, have magnified the vulnerability of Kenya, in particular to the impacts of climate change.
Josephat Muhunyu, an Agricultural Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, while speaking in place of the Cabinet Secretary of Agriculture Hon. Mithika Linturi, noted that the agricultural sector faces many challenges.
“Climate change has affected agricultural sub-sectors such as livestock keeping because such infestations as a result of changes in climate result to lack of pasture to the animals thus low production,” stated the agricultural secretary.
He called on the farmers to secure their animals to ensure the government compensates them in cases of environmental-related deaths.
Muhunyu distinguished that education was particularly important to ensure that pastoralists in areas prone to pest infestation manage the animals commercially and not for prestige.
“We are trying to develop resilience by giving assistance on how to manage few animals that are more economical and higher yielding,” Muhunyu commented.
Ms. Carla Mucavi, a representative of FAO in Kenya, noted that the invasion of crop pests and diseases, together with climate shocks, make the IGAD region the most insecure region in the world.
According to the 2023 Global Crop and Food Crisis report prepared by FAO, IGAD, and World Food Programme (WFP), approximately 56 million people in the IGAD region are currently facing severe levels of food insecurity.
“The region is also grappling with the ongoing soiling infraction and the exorbitant energy and fertilizer coists all of which threaten our food security, environment and market access for agricultural products,” Ms. Mucavi stated in her address at the summit.
Regional collaboration, a success pillar
Recognizing the cross-border nature of pest challenges and the significance of united action, IGAD, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have converged to develop a strategic framework for transboundary pest control.
The Nairobi summit brought together Ministers, Heads of Delegations, and representatives, marking a milestone in fostering collaborative endeavours while building upon previous commitments and initiatives, such as the IGAD Drought Disaster Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (IDDRSI).
Principal Advisor on Solutions and Climate Change at UNHCR, Mr. Hamdi Bukhari while speaking for the organization, reiterated the commitment of the organization to the policy drafting and working with partners to protect the region’s citizens, especially the displaced persons.
“We believe that this population should be included among the vulnerable population to be protected and considered when it comes to climate change and issues related to risk transfer,” he stated.
He confirmed that UNHCR will collectively build partnerships to address environmental and human risks in the East African region.
The transboundary pest control efforts in Kenya embrace a multi-pronged approach, combining technological innovation, data-driven solutions, and policy harmonization.
Different approaches to counter transboundary pest infestation and help farmers recover from the damages of pest infestation were discussed during the summit.
- Micro-insurance of livestock
Dr. Artan, Director of ICPAC, noted that the East African region in the last few years experienced disasters of climatic nature which are coming up more often.
“Every five years, we are seeing a really major drought. And the region economy is mainly dependent on rainfall, agriculture and pastoralism, both dependent on rain, climate,” he implored.
He noted that they are collaboratively trying to popularize the issue of microinsurance in the region so that people who are into subsistence farming can cope with these climatic shocks.
According to the strategies put in place, the micro-insurance program has to be a public-private partnership and more so the private sector.
“It cannot be completely public. So, the question is how we can intensify the private sector to be part of it. The farmer or pastoralist and the government will also contribute something,” he commented.
- Innovative research and technology
Efforts to strengthen research, knowledge sharing, and capacity building are at the heart of the transboundary pest control strategy.
Mr. Muhunyu of the Ministry of Agriculture noted that the government is advancing technology in the ASAL areas to ensure that the pastoralists are well-guided in case of future threats by pests.
He said a central database for real-time exchange of pest-related data would be essential for timely response and also lay the foundation for robust early warning systems that will mitigate the cycle of recurrent food crises.
“We will invest in technology to improve breeds to more resilient ones, as well as set up centers where they can easily access health facilities for human and livestock and try guiding pastoralists using GPS so that they can easily find pasture for their animals,” he said.
- Towards sustainable development, threat management
Recent assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) show that climate change is a threat to all future development efforts in the Horn of Africa due to the high vulnerability of the local communities and their low capacity to address the impacts of climate variability.
As Kenya and its East African counterparts strive to enhance their transboundary pest control strategies, the ultimate goal remains clear: achieving sustainable development and peace across the region.
Even though there are no predictable pest invasion threats in the near future, Dr. Artan noted that a lot of rain and wet climatic conditions are a good place for the breeding of desert locusts, thus the need to be ready.
“As we are talking now, we have pockets of desert locust in Sudan and in Eritrea. In Sudan, there is a civil war ongoing and the control mechanisms are not there. If we are not careful, as we were not last time, we could be caught unprepared,” he stated.
In conclusion, by prioritizing resilient food systems, collaborative risk transfer mechanisms, and harmonized policies, IGAD member states and partners are paving the way for a future where communities thrive, economies flourish, and the specter of transboundary pests is effectively managed.
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Through united efforts, these nations are forging a path toward a more resilient and secure agricultural and climatic future for all.
