Desert locust infestation is seen as a serious problem throughout history, and it continues to threaten agriculture and food security over large parts of Africa, the near east and southwest Asia even at present day. Desert locusts can be found in 30 countries, but during upsurges they can affect as many as 60 countries. The most recent upsurge happened from 2019 to 2021. Following some unusual weather events in 2018 and early 2019, desert locusts swarmed in large numbers in many countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Somalia, Eritrea, India, Pakistan, Iran, Yemen, Oman and Saudi Arabia. In case of Pakistan, this was the largest attack since 1992.
The infestation of 2019 to 2021 coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which not only hampered the efforts to control the infestation, but also affected businesses, jobs and overall income in the affected areas. CWS Japan, in partnership with Community World Service Asia (CWSA) and with support from Japan Platform, responded to this compound disaster in the Sindh province of Pakistan.
This report looks at the issues and solutions through the CWS response and some in-depth interviews conducted in October 2021, and attempts to capture the lessons for future responses to similar disasters.