Locust Watch in Caucasus and Central Asia | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Locusts and grasshoppers are serious threats for agriculture in Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA). Three locust pests, the Italian (CIT), the Moroccan (DMA) and the Migratory (LMI) locusts, jeopardize food security and livelihoods in both regions as well as in adjacent areas of northern Afghanistan and southern Russian Federation. Over 25 million hectares of cultivated areas are potentially at risk.

Locusts have a high capacity to multiply, form groups, migrate over relatively large distances (they can fly up to 100 km per day) and settle and breed in various habitats. These capacities enhance their pest status at regional level. Locust are becoming even more dangerous in the context of exceptional weather events associated with climate change, due to their very high capacity to take advantage of new situations; as an indicator, the locust situation has deteriorated with recurrent droughts since the beginning of the 21st century.