ReliefWeb

Highlights

• Since April 2012, Madagascar has been facing a plague of the Malagasy Migratory Locust, that threatens the livelihoods of 13 million people in the country, 9 million of whom earn a living from agriculture.

• It is estimated that at least three successive locust control campaigns costing USD 43.9 million* are required to return to a recession of the locust populations by treating over 2 million hectares between September 2013 and September 2016. One or two campaigns alone will not be enough to reach this objective.

• Since the start of the 1st campaign, in September 2013, locust populations have been controlled on nearly 993 000 hectares.

• The three-year programme, jointly prepared by FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture, in response to the plague focuses on:

  • Improving the monitoring and analysis of the locust situation o Large-scale aerial control operations
  • Monitoring and mitigating the impact of locust control operations on human health and the environment
  • Assessing the effectiveness of each locust campaign and the impact of locusts on crops and pastures

• On 23 April 2014, the Government of Japan signed a funding agreement of USD 2 million to contribute to the 2014/2015 locust campaign. The current funding gap exceeds USD 15 million. All funds are required to fully implement the programme, else the plague could severely affect a family’s ability to provide for itself.