Locust management and its importance to food security

Desert locusts are the world’s most destructive migratory pest: a one-square-kilometer swarm is capable of consuming what 35 000 people eat in a day. During plagues, they can devastate crops and pastures across over 60 countries, threatening the livelihoods of 10 percent of the world’s population. Managing these outbreaks is not just an agricultural challenge – it's a matter of food security, environmental protection, and the livelihoods that sustain communities across the world.

Decades of experience and knowledge

Today, we are not caught unaware. Since 1955, FAO has led global efforts to combat this pest through through monitoring, early warning, forecasting and control. FAO runs the Desert Locust Information Service (DLIS), which monitors the desert locust situation globally. At the field level, FAO operates three desert locust regional commissions. FAO has also developed locust management guidelines and standard operating protocols to guide the planning and execution of control campaigns so that control operations are safe for human, animal and crop health. 

Together with Member Nations and partners, FAO has successfully managed over 18 outbreaks in the past two decades, including two major upsurges.

^{At the then FAO Locust Command Centre in Rome, experts monitore desert locust movements using satellite data and field reports. One officer analyzes geographic information on screen, while another showcases a collection of locust specimens used for identification and research.
© FAO/Giuseppe Bizzarri}

From 2000 to 2009, FAO significantly strengthened the preventive control capacities of frontline countries. Locust control units were established, training systems institutionalised, and early warning tools modernised. Today, countries where locusts breed have made significant progress in harnessing advanced technologies, such as drones, satellite  and remote sensing systems, and biopesticides as part of an increasingly sophisticated prevention arsenal. 

The 2020–2022 upsurge across the Greater Horn of Africa, Arabian Peninsula and Southwest Asia underscored both the scale of risk and the strength of coordinated response. FAO worked with over 23 countries to contain the spread of swarms, using data-driven surveillance, rapid-response teams, and emergency operations. It was one of the most extensive and complex desert locust campaigns in modern history – and demonstrated that even large-scale upsurges can be managed through collective action. 

Recent events in the Sahel and North Africa highlight both the urgency of action and the value of preparedness. FAO, through DLIS, issued early warnings ahead of the month’s outbreak in Morocco, Algeria, and Libya. Rapid interventions are now underway – guided by science, coordinated through decades-old networks, and supported by our renewed commitment to innovation and precision. 

FAO’s work is rooted in partnership

Desert locusts do not respect borders, and neither can our response. The establishment of regional funds, investments in early warning systems, and support to local expertise reflect a deeper truth: we can only succeed together.

^{Kipsing, near Oldonyiro, Isiolo county, Kenya - Aerial spraying operation supervised by FAO team on the ground; © FAO/Sven Torfinn}

FAO continues to advocate preventative approaches that translate early warning into early action – saving time, agricultural production and precious livelihoods. As we look to the future, one thing is clear: FAO will continue to lead with science, innovation and coordination. With sustained vigilance, strong partnerships and timely action, we can protect the food for millions of people.