Afghan farmers struggle to battle locust invasion in north

BALKH -- Hundreds of thousands of locusts have descended on crops in northern Afghanistan, under the helpless gaze of farmers and their families already stalked by famine.

In the village of Kandali in northern Balkh, one of eight affected provinces in the country's breadbasket, a staggering swarm of grey insects has amassed on a fallow wheat field.

After feasting on the harvest, they laid eggs to hatch anew next spring, continuing a cycle of destruction in a nation where nine in 10 families already struggle to afford food, according to the United Nations (UN).

"They eat everything that is green: wheat, peas, sesame," said Baz Mohammad, the representative of Kandali village.

Desperate farmers used nets to sweep up the plague of Moroccan locusts -- one of the world's most voracious pests -- before burying them in trenches, but their numbers are still multiplying.

"We walk with hungry stomachs to kill the locusts. If we don't kill them, our agriculture will be ruined," Mohammad said.

This year's outbreak could destroy 1.2 million tonnes of wheat, a quarter of the annual harvest, at a loss of up to $480 million, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

A helping hand

The FAO has been lending a helping hand where it can.

To the east, in Kunduz province, the organisation launched in late April a three-week campaign to eradicate locusts from farms in the provincial capital and five districts of Kunduz.

As part of the effort, the FAO hired 1,100 workers and paid them $100 (8,720 AFN) each. With this, it helped create short-term employment for local residents while supporting farmers by combating locusts in their farms.

Afghanistan is facing its third consecutive year of drought, with farmers in Kandali reporting no rains since March, which could have helped wash away the bugs.

"Harvest forecasts this year are the best we have seen for the last three years," FAO Afghanistan representative Richard Trenchard said in May.

"But this outbreak threatens to destroy all these recent gains and dramatically worsen the food insecurity situation later this year and into next year."

The agency said conditions were "perfect" for locusts with "overgrazing, drought and very limited control measures".

The last two major infestations, which took place 20 and 40 years ago, cost the country an estimated 8% and 25% of production, respectively.

Eradication needs

Seven thousand hectares (17,000 acres) of land has been treated chemically and manually, but it is not enough, the director of locust control at the Balkh agricultural ministry, Sifatullah Azizi, said.

"We have acted within our means. To eradicate them, you need a budget, to hire workers, pay for fuel, products," he said.

Afghanistan's economy, already battered by decades of war, has been mired in crisis since billions of dollars in international aid were cut after August 2021.

Economic output has collapsed and almost 85% of the country lives in poverty, according to the UN Development Programme.

"Afghanistan used to have a very strong locust control system in place. But this has been heavily eroded in the last two years," Trenchard said.

If left untreated, the population of Moroccan locusts could increase 100-fold next year, the FAO has warned.

Farmer Abdul Raqib Kazimi, who provides for 16 family members, said 60 to 70% of his land has been destroyed and that his lost production includes fodder for cattle.

"We need to feed ourselves. If there is no wheat, there is no flour," the 38-year-old said.

"I am very worried as these locusts are laying eggs in this area so next year again it will be out of my control and out of the control of my villagers."