Locusts continue to wreak havoc in farms across Kenya and East Africa as a whole.
It is depressing that farmers can only arm themselves with sticks, iron sheets and few pesticides. However, despite this, the result is basically nonexistent. The noise they make does not scare away the destructive pests leaving farmers destitute. The expected bumper harvest is reduced to nothing.
Agriculture contributes about 25 per cent of the country’s GDP. The full impact of invasion has already hit 18 counties so far with Kisumu being the latest.
The situation might not have exacerbated had there been an early response to the early warning from the Food and Agriculture Organisation as well as mobilisation of necessary resources such as effective herbicide to fight the swarms.
Maseno