Kenya is facing a locust threat, destroying hundreds of thousands of acres of crops. The locusts are feared to continue ravaging crops until June this year as favorable breeding conditions continue to be created by the heavy rains. The country has been battling with the dessert locusts since the beginning of 2020.

Studies have linked a hotter climate to the more devastating dessert locust swarms affecting countries in Africa. Moreover, wet weather up to 400% above normal rainfall amount witnessed in the Horn of Africa since October 2019, favors rapid multiplication of the locusts. The heavy rains were attributed to the Indian Ocean dipole, a phenomenon caused by climate change. 

While climate change is a global phenomenon, Africa still remains at a higher risk due to the low levels of socioeconomic development. People living in poverty are vulnerable to climate change effects because they lack necessary resources to recover from the impacts. The dessert locusts continue to ravage crops in farms, wiping out livestock and wildlife feed with no substantial measures from the locals to contain them. 

The governments should invest in the safest methods which doesn’t affect the environment to control dessert locusts. In addition, communities should be empowered with sound technologies such as solar dryers, which are also climate action solutions to ensure they preserve their harvest at onset of unpredictable events such as long heavy rains and attacks of swarms of dessert locusts.