Farmlands in Somalia are facing increasing threats from the new swarms of locusts invading the region.
A new invasion has been reported in Middle Shabelle and Hiran.
The fresh infestation of desert locusts further rocks a region that has witnessed a sharp decrease in agricultural activities because of destructive rainstorms and seasonal floods.
Yusuf Ahmed, one of the farmers in the region, said, “We have witnessed a destruction of farmlands in Jowhar in the last six months from floods.”
Ahmed says that the arrival of a new swarm of desert locusts compounds the problem further.
Stagnant water from rainstorms in the region have created ideal conditions for locusts to breed and thrive.
Entire plantations of tomatoes, beans, sesame, sorghum, rice, and maize have been destroyed through the combination of rains, floods, and locusts.