Ethiopia

Ethiopia
Ethiopia is within:
Region:	Africa
Subregion:	Sub-Saharan Africa
Intermediate region:	Eastern Africa

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Ethiopia, located in the northeastern part of the Horn of Africa, is a landlocked country with a diverse landscape that includes the Ethiopian Highlands and the Great Rift Valley. The country shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, and Sudan and South Sudan to the west. In 2016, it was estimated that 16 million ha is cultivated and 20 million ha are permanent pastures. The Ethiopian economy is heavily dependent on smallholder rain-fed agriculture which is vulnerable to locust outbreaks.

Ecology and distribution

Ethiopia is home to a diverse ecological landscape supporting various plant and animal species, including many grasshoppers. There are mountainous regions, flat-topped plateaus, and expansive lowlands. The terrain is marked by deep gorges with rivers and rolling plains, with altitudes ranging from 110 meters below sea level in the Denakil Depression in the northeast to over 4,600 meters above sea level in the Simien Mountains in the north. The Great East African Rift Valley cuts through the country.

Ethiopia has faced significant challenges from locust swarms, particularly the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), which can devastate crops and pasture lands. The Sahelian tree locust (Anacridium melanorhodon) is also native and widely distributed in Ethiopia. The very eastern edge of Ethiopia can also fall into the invasion area of the red locust (Nomadacris septemfasciata).

Ethiopia contains several secondary locust breeding areas, particularly during the summer, in regions such as Dire Dawa, Somali, Afar, and Tigray, covering approximately 300,000 to 400,000 hectares. Additionally, there are smaller breeding areas during the spring and winter seasons in Somali and Dire Dawa.

Locust breeding is infrequent on the plateau and rare at high altitudes, occurring mainly in lowland areas, particularly along the eastern flank of the Ethiopian plateau and in the Takazze valley. The highest breeding frequency is observed in the Railway Area between Djibouti and Awash, which follows the Ethiopian Rift. Contributing factors include the area's topography, which can channels swarms and enhances rainfall, as well as favorable breeding conditions like sandy soils and good drainage. In contrast, breeding in the Danakil depression is likely underreported due to its remoteness.

Outbreaks

Ethiopia was one of the countries impacted by the 2019-2021 desert locust outbreak. In 2020 it faced the worst outbreak in 25 years, leading to food insecurity. The outbreak began in 2019, driven by unusual climatic conditions that favored locust breeding. The situation escalated in 2020-2021, with heavy rains and cyclones creating ideal conditions for the formation of massive locust swarms. These swarms caused extensive damage to crops and pastures, threatening food security and livelihoods. In response, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, along with regional governments, implemented extensive control measures such as aerial and ground pesticide spraying, monitoring, and early warning systems to combat the infestation and mitigate its impacts. Read more here

In 2019-2020, desert locusts migrated from Yemen into Ethiopia, initially settling in the Afar lowlands. Swarms then moved to the semi-highlands of Amhara regional state, while another group migrated from Somaliland to Dire Dawa city. Although northeastern Ethiopia was the first area impacted, the locust infestation eventually spread to almost all of the country’s regional states, causing varying levels of damage. Tigray, Amhara, Afar, Oromia, Somalia, and SNNP regions were hit particularly hard, with large areas heavily infested, leading to significant losses in food and feed crops.

The desert locust infestation in Ethiopia led to an estimated loss of 356,286 metric tons of cereal, affecting 806,400 farming households. Additionally, 197,163 hectares of cropland and 350,000 hectares of pastureland were impacted by the locusts in March 2020.

The control efforts for the 2019-2021 outbreak in Ethiopia likely led to significant harm to honeybees due to the loss of bee forage and the dangers posed by pesticides. For more on the impact of insecticide use against the desert locust in the Horn of Africa click here.

Management and research

Desert locust management in Ethiopia is decentralized and handled by the Plant Protection Division under the Crop Protection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Addis Ababa. This division manages all migratory pest issues and operates a locust information office.

Ethiopia is also part of the FAO Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO EA) and the FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region (CRC).

Species of locust and grasshoppers in Ethiopia represented in HopperWiki

• Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)

Organizations (7)

Name	Acronym	Type	Focus	Focus keywords	Species purview
Bureau of Agriculture and Natural Resource	BANR	Government	Development	Agricultural development
Catholic Relief Services Ethiopia		Non-profit Organization	Development, Governance	Emergency response
Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region	CRC	Intergovernmental Organization	Management, Governance, Education, Information Hub	Training, Regional cooperation, Monitoring, Control, Forecasting, Natural sciences	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
FAO Desert Locust Control Committee	DLCC	Intergovernmental Organization	Development, Management, Governance	Agricultural development, Community development, Control, International development, Regional cooperation, Sustainable development, Training, Natural sciences	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
FAO Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa	DLCO EA	Intergovernmental Organization	Education, Governance, Management, Research	Training, Regional cooperation, Monitoring, Control, Coordination	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Feed the Future Developing Local Extension Capacity	DLEC	Intergovernmental Organization	Education, Information Hub, Development, Governance	Policy, Training, Agricultural development
Wollo University		University	Development, Funding, Management, Research	Agricultural development, Control, Forecasting, Monitoring, Sustainable development, Training, Natural sciences

Resources (15)

Title	Resource link	Category	Descriptive keyword	Author	Language	Species purview
Billions of locusts are descending on Ethiopia	View URL	Media	Video, General locust education, Media article, Locust outbreaks	Washington Post	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Desert locust field handbook	View URL	Guide	Species identification, Management	Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Desert locust invasion responding to a crisis within a crisis	View URL	Technical report	Presentation, Outbreaks, Emergency response	World Bank	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Desert locust surveillance and control programmatic environmental assessment	View URL	Technical report	Monitoring, Environmental assessment, Management	United States Agency for International Development	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Desert locust technical series		Technical report	History, Management	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	English, French, Arabic	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
East Africa desert locust crisis fact sheets	View URL	Technical report	Emergency response, Outbreaks	United States Agency for International Development	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Emergency Locust Response Program Phase 3 The World Bank Group	View URL	Media	Media article	World Bank, Intergovernmental Authority on Development	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Global response plan January–December 2020	View URL	Technical report	Emergency response, Outbreaks	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Greater Horn of Africa and Yemen Desert locust crisis appeal	View URL			Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Key aspects on desert locust information and reporting	View URL	Guide	Early warning, SWARMS, Geographic Information System (GIS)	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Progress report on the response in the Greater Horn of Africa and Yemen	View URL	Technical report	Report, Advisory note, Forecasting, Monitoring, Locust outbreaks, Locusts, Outbreaks, Emergency response, Early warning, Livelihoods, Aerial control operations, Summary, Food security, Chemical control, Biological control, Community development, Collective movement, After action review, Agriculture, Crop health, Economics, Infographic, Advice, Public health, Pesticide management	United States Agency for International Development	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Report on DGPS demonstration and training on ground support for aerial operations	View URL	Technical report	Aerial control operations, Report, Technology	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
The World Bank Group and the Locust Crisis	View URL	Media	Media article	World Bank	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
What is DGPS?	View URL	Technical report	Aerial control operations, Agriculture, Application, Pesticides, Spraying	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
World Bank Announces $500 Million to Fight Locusts	View URL	Media	Media article	World Bank	English	Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)

Projects

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