DEVELOPMENT OF A LOCUST OUTBREAK RESPONSE PLAN IN WESTERN PROVINCE

By MIRRIAM MUBIANA

LOCUSTS continue to pose a serious threat to agriculture and food production in many parts of the region, including Zambia, thereby negatively affecting food security among households.  

Despite this menace threatening farmers’ livelihoods, government remains committed to building strong institutional and human resource capacity for early detection, effective management, and prompt response to locust outbreaks that threaten national food security and livelihoods.

Speaking during the Training of Trainer’s workshop, Western Province Permanent Secretary, Simomo Akapelwa said the government has appreciated the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) as a cooperating partner and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) for their financial and technical support towards the training of officers in the province.

Mr Akapelwa also extended the Provincial Administration’s recognition of the role the International Red Locust and Control Organization plays for its continued collaboration in the locust surveillance and control in the region.

“This training forms an integral part of the government’s agricultural transformation agenda by strengthening district and provincial capacity. We’re ensuring that technical staff can effectively monitor, contain and manage locust outbreaks,” Mr Akapelwa said.

He said this during a training of trainer’s workshop held at Namushekende Training Institute in Mongu district in Western province. 

Participants were drawn from 11 districts from the Ministry of Agriculture in Western province. The training focused on the locust biology, management, and development of a locust outbreak response plan. 

Mr Akapelwa highlighted that participants will be expected to conduct cascade trainings for block extension officers and camp extension officers, who are also expected to train farmers in affected and risk areas in the province.

Mr Akapelwa further said the government’s agricultural production as set by President Hakainde Hichilema, which include the production of ten million metric tonnes of maize, one million metric tonnes of wheat, and one million metric tonnes of soyabean per annum by year 2027 in the country, can only be achieved if extension staff vigorously engage in responsive measures aimed at positively impacting on food security of households and the country.

“In order to meet these targets, we must protect our crops from biological threats such as locusts,” Mr Akapelwa said.

He said investments in training, early warning systems, and response plans are essential to ensure that pest infestations do not reverse the productivity gains we are making through input distribution, irrigation development, and market linkages. 

Mr Akapelwa has praised officers from the Ministry of Agriculture for the good harvest experienced during the 2024/2025 farming season in the province.

He added that more effort should be directed towards encouraging many farmers as possible to ensure that the region produces more during the coming 2025/2026 farming season.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture Deputy Director, Alick Daka also hailed members of staff for the spirited fight and commitment to safeguarding the agricultural sector. Let us continue to work as a united front to protect our crops, our communities, and our country’s economic future.

Mr Daka said in Zambia, the current outbreak of red locust has affected three provinces, namely; Western, Central and Southern.

Currently, 20 districts have been classified as locust hotspots either due to being breeding grounds or having recorded increased populations of Red Locusts and African Migratory Locusts.

“As you may be aware, locusts continue to pose a serious threat to agriculture and food production in many parts of the region as they are highly destructive, capable of destroying large areas of crop land in a short space of time,” Mr Daka said.        

The Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) has donated about 10,000 pounds for the control of red locust in the province.

 “Our focus is on the management of red locust plan, this will enable my team to learn how this pest can be controlled in our identified communities through the ratification, ecology, biology as well as prepared manage in the province,” CABI Entomologist, Granger Lena said.

Ms Lena has called for further collaborations with the members from the Ministry of Agriculture in the province so that the formed red locust plans can be shared with the neighboring countries such as Namibia and beyond, as Zambia is centrally located.

The International Red Locust Control Organization for Central and Southern Africa (IRLCO-CSA) Representative Eiliot Zitsanza, said the training course is an opportunity time to review what they have done in the past and try to draw lessons.

IRLCO-CSA lessons learnt is meant to inform the formulation of strategies on how they can effectively manage outbreaks in the future. -NAIS