2013 Madagascar locust plague

2013 Madagascar locust infestation 2013 03 Madagascar Malagasy migratory locust (Locusta migratoria capito) In 2012, Madagascar had an upsurge in the size of its Malagasy migratory locust (Locusta Migratoria Capito) populations. In November of that year, the government issued a locust alert, saying that conditions were right for swarming of the pest insects.Biblical Locust Plague Threatens Madagascar Nature World News March 26, 2013 James A. Foley https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/1027/20130326/biblical-locust-plague-threatens-madagascar.htm March 28, 2013Madagascar locust crisis - Response to the locust plague: three-year Programme 2013-2016 March 2013 FAO http://www.fao.org/emergencies/resources/documents/resources-detail/en/c/172406/ March 29, 2013 June 6, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130606023201/http://www.fao.org/emergencies/resources/documents/resources-detail/en/c/172406/ dead2013-09-19 Assessment of the impact of locust damage on crops and pastures in Madagascar - Madagascar ReliefWeb https://reliefweb.int/report/madagascar/assessment-impact-locust-damage-crops-and-pastures-madagascar 2025-06-24 reliefweb.int en In February 2013, Cyclone Haruna struck the country, creating optimal conditions for locust breeding. By late March 2013, approximately 50% of the country was infested by swarms of locusts, with each swarm consisting of more than one billion insects. The authorities changed the situation to plague status. According to one eyewitness: "You don't see anything except locusts. You turn around, there are locusts everywhere".Plague of locusts infests impoverished Madagascar Greg Botelho March 28, 2013 CNN https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/27/world/africa/madagascar-locusts March 29, 2013 News of the infestation went global the week before Passover, inspiring comparisons with the Biblical Plagues of Egypt, one of which was a swarm of locusts.Locusts In Madagascar: U.N. Needs $41 Million To End The Plague Maya Shwayder March 26, 2013 International Business Times https://www.ibtimes.com/locusts-madagascar-un-needs-41-million-end-plague-1153269 March 28, 2013 It was the worst locust outbreak in Madagascar since a 17-year-long outbreak which began during the 1950s.Madagascar hit by 'severe' plague of locusts BBC March 27, 2013 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21955740 March 28, 2013 Pest control thumb|A female migratory locust sitting on a branch with a juvenile in the background On March 26, 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations called for US$41 million of donations to fight the locusts. Under the proposed aid plan, $22 million would be delivered by June for pest control efforts and $19 million would be devoted to a three-year plan to keep the insect in check.2013-06-27 Locust Infest More of Madagascar https://www.voanews.com/a/madagascar-locusts-27jun13/1690421.html 2025-06-24 Voice of America en According to the FAO report, the infestation threatened 60% of the country's rice crop, as well as livestock pastures. Rice was considered a staple crop in Madagascar, a nation where a large percentage of the population lives in famine conditions.'Severe' Locust Plague Attacks Madagascar, Needs More Than $22M to Fight Swarm, Says UN Cole Hill March 28, 2013 Latinos Post https://www.latinospost.com/articles/15480/20130328/severe-locust-plague-attacks-madagascar-needs-more-22m-fight-swarm.htm March 28, 2013Locust plague campaign gets results in Madagascar https://fao.sitefinity.cloud/newsroom/detail/Locust-plague-campaign-gets-results-in-Madagascar/en 2025-06-24 Newsroom en In the southwestern region of Madagascar, where the locusts were the worst, 80% of the population lived in poverty.Chonghaile Clár Ní 2015-01-27 Madagascar could lose battle against locusts if funds don’t come, UN warns https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jan/27/madagascar-locusts-united-nations-food-agriculture-organisation 2023-04-19 The Guardian en-GB 0261-3077 The FAO plan called for large-scale aerial operations to spray extra pesticides over 1.5 million hectares (3.7 million acres) of land from 2013 to 2014. According to the national Locust Control Centre, 100,000 out of 130,000 hectares (257,000 out of 321,000 acres) of vulnerable crop land had not been treated at the time of the FAO proposal. If no action was taken, the FAO estimated that two-thirds of Madagascar would be infested by September, and said the infestation could last for five to ten years. "Failure to respond now will lead to massive food aid requirements later on," said Dominique Burgeon, Director of the FAO Emergency and Rehabilitation Division. Additionally, the infestation threatened the habitat of numerous endangered species, especially several species of lemur.Will Madagascar's wildlife survive the locust plague? Kevin Heath March 28, 2013 Wildlife News http://wildlifenews.co.uk/2013/will-madagascars-wildlife-survive-the-locust-plague/ March 28, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130604001013/http://wildlifenews.co.uk/2013/will-madagascars-wildlife-survive-the-locust-plague/ June 4, 2013 dead Implementation began swiftly: by December 2013, aerial spraying had eliminated hopper bands and locust adults on close to 50,000 hectares, and a three-year control program was underway using helicopters, ground vehicles, and environmentally considered pesticides; including a fungus-based biopesticide in sensitive zones. FAO-funded operations by mid-2015 revealed: A total of US $28.8 million had been spent since 2013. An additional $10.6 million was urgently required to complete the campaign. In February 2016, ongoing efforts had controlled locust populations across 223,533 hectares since the third campaign began in August 2015.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVG9yu3KnLA RESULTS OF THE THREE-YEAR PROGRAMME (2013-2016) IN RESPONSE TO THE LOCUST PLAGUE IN MADAGASCAR 2016-09-21 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2025-06-24 YouTube By September 2016, Madagascar’s three-year locust control campaign successfully contained the plague.As Madagascar food crisis looms, locust control campaign launched https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/As-Madagascar-food-crisis-looms-locust-control-campaign-launched/en 2025-06-24 Newsroom enStaff AgAir Update 2022-04-04 Locust Control in Madagascar - AgAir Update https://agairupdate.com/2022/04/04/locust-control-in-madagascar/ 2025-06-24 en-USJacobs Dan 2014-10-06 Locust Plague in Madagascar Halted, For Now https://www.agribusinessglobal.com/markets/africa-middle-east/plaga-de-langostas-en-madagascar-detenida-pero-con-gran-riesgo-de-resurgimiento/ 2025-06-24 AgriBusiness Global en-US Thanks to international donors—including Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, the World Bank, Norway, USAID, and the EU—the effort reached critical mass and avoided a relapse. Funds are running out in battle against Madagascar’s locusts https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/Funds-are-running-out-in-battle-against-Madagascar-s-locusts/en 2025-06-24 Newsroom enJacobs Dan 2014-10-06 Locust Plague in Madagascar Halted, For Now https://www.agribusinessglobal.com/markets/africa-middle-east/plaga-de-langostas-en-madagascar-detenida-pero-con-gran-riesgo-de-resurgimiento/ 2025-06-24 AgriBusiness Global en-US Aftermath In the aftermath, FAO and Madagascar’s Locust Control Centre shifted to routine monitoring and early-action strategies. As part of this pivot, efforts in 2021–22 treated nearly 400,000 hectares ahead of seasonal breeding seasons, supported by Germany and other partners.detail https://www.fao.org/emergencies/resources-repository/news/detail/madagascar-fao-provides-support-to-anticipate-and-halt-the-drivers-of-the-major-outbreak-of-malagasy-migratory-locust/en 2025-06-24 Emergency enThe Government of Madagascar and FAO are collaborating closely in the implementation of the 2021/22 locust control campaign https://www.fao.org/madagascar/actualites/detail-events/fr/c/1419250/ 2025-06-24 www.fao.org By September 2024, a UN‑funded “anticipatory action” plan equipped local control centres, bolstered surveillance, and pre-positioned aerial resources, including helicopter contracts initiated for the 2024–27 period.Anticipatory Action to avert a Malagasy migratory locust upsurge https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/d975e0ed-ba7c-45c6-b82b-dd9188efa5ad/content See also List of locust swarms References 30em External links FAO mini site on the locust outbreak FAO plan https://web.archive.org/web/20130606023201/http://www.fao.org/emergencies/resources/documents/resources-detail/en/c/172406/ 2013-06-06 to combat the outbreak FAO video on the locust outbreak Locust Locust Category:Locust swarms Category:Natural disasters in Madagascar Category:2013 disasters in Africa Category:21st-century disasters in Madagascar