FAO Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases

FAO Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases
Acronym:	EMPRES
Website:	View URL
Geography
Headquarter country:
Italy
Geographic purview:
Africa Americas Asia Europe
Species
Species purview:
Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Categories
Type:	Intergovernmental Organization
Focus:
Management Governance Research
Keywords:
Monitoring Control Training Regional cooperation Natural sciences

Founded by the FAO in 1994, the Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES) program aims to improve global food security and combat cross-border animal and plant pests and diseases. Its desert locust segment offers international leadership to boost efficiency, devise early warning systems, and secure sustainable emergency funds for 18 affected countries in Africa and the Near East. The program advocates for eco-friendly control methods and fosters collaboration with impacted nations, agricultural research centers, and other international bodies.

The EMPRES concept emerged from the need to address transboundary risks threatening crops, animals, and public health. Past failures to control desert locust upsurges, particularly between 1977-1979 and during the 1986-1989 plague years, raised concerns about economic costs, environmental impacts, and organizational effectiveness. In 1994, the FAO established EMPRES, emphasizing the desert locust to enhance food security.

EMPRES aims to boost locust-affected countries' capacities to prevent plagues and mitigate food security, economic, and environmental issues. It involves cooperation among affected countries, regional bodies, donors, and the FAO to improve control strategies. Launched in the Central Region, covering nine countries near the Red Sea, it began pilot activities in 1996. The donor-assisted Phase I ran from 1997 to 2000. In Phase II, starting in 2001, countries integrated preventive measures into national programs. Phase III (2004-2006) focused on transferring program responsibility to CRC and participating nations to ensure system sustainability. Financial support came from the FAO, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, the USA, CRC, and the Desert Locust Control Committee, totaling USD 11.5 million by 2006.

The effectiveness of EMPRES’s preventive approach was evident during the 2003-2005 Desert Locust upsurge, where swift action contained three major outbreaks from Northwest Africa, costing USD 7 million. Investments in early warning systems, human capacity, and rapid response capabilities helped avert an emergency in the Central Region. Without such systems, Northwest Africa faced costs exceeding USD 400 million, including food aid and contributions, and had to spray over 13 million hectares with pesticides, impacting 8 million people’s livelihoods.

Thanks to EMPRES, affected countries have significantly strengthened their national preventive management capabilities and play a crucial role in FAO’s global Desert Locust early warning system. Their commitment to providing consistent, high-quality field information is vital for preparedness and the success of subsequent actions.

Available resources authored by this organization

Name	Year published	Category	Author	Species purview	Geographic purview	Language
EMPRES meeting, research, workshop, survey report collection	2002	Technical report, Reference works	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases		Egypt	English