Through the use of crop-dusting technology, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) are supporting the Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa to help countries affected by outbreaks of Desert Locust.

During 2019 and 2020, the changing weather favoured desert locust rapid reproduction and migration and led to their spreading through the Horn of Africa, East Africa, Arabian Peninsula, South West Asia and West Africa leaving over 25 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania with acute food insecurity in 2020.

To remedy the situation crop dusting using drones was implemented as a new technology to complement traditional desert locust management measures, including the development of Standard Operating Procedures for optimal use of the technology with the project is initially trialed in Kenya. The technology works by equipping Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, with specially-designed and calibrated spraying equipment that enables mapping and precision spraying.

“This project is an excellent example of cross-collaboration between UN sister agencies working together for the benefit of an NGO in a common effort that contributes to 3 of the SDGs.” – Daniel Souhami, ICAO Field Operations Officer.

Findings will be used to determine if drones can be used as a complementary tool to sustainably manage locusts.