Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa

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Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa
Acronym:DLCO EA
Website:View URL
Geography
Headquarter country:Ethiopia
Geographic purview:Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania
Species purview:Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
Categories
Type:Intergovernmental Organization
Focus:Education, Governance, Management, Research
Keywords:Training, Regional cooperation, Monitoring, Control, Coordination

The Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA) is an interstate organization created by an International Convention signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1962. The organization focuses on integrated pest and vector management to promote food security across Eastern Africa, including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibouti. [1] Other objective include: (i) Aerial survey and control of Desert Locusts and other mandated migratory pests (quelea birds, Armyworm, Tsetse fly and other emerging pests), (ii) Applied Research on pests, pesticide use and safety, (iii) Forecasting of migratory pests, information sharing and coordination and (iv) Capacity building of member countries personnel.

Although the DLCO-EA is not part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) structure, they do collaborate closely. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries of the Republic of Uganda hosts the DLCO-EA and is highly involved in locust and grasshopper management. The ministry has a research arm, the National Agricultural Research Organisation that takes on locust related projects.

History

Initially created in response to the severe desert locust plagues of the 1940s, its primary mandate was to support the management of desert locust infestations. Over time, its mandate expanded to include the management of other migratory pests, notably the African Armyworm, the Quelea bird which feeds on grains, and the Tsetse fly, a vector for the serious human sleeping sickness (Trypanosomiasis) and nagana in livestock. [2]

Before DLCO-EA was established, the Desert Locust Survey and Control, part of the East African Common Services Organization, handled locust management in the region. Directors of the East African Common Services Organization were first, P. R. Stephenson, C.M.G., O.B.E., and then R. J. V. Joyce. Due to the political changes in Africa and the end of direct financial support from the United Kingdom, a new international body, the Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCOEA), was created to take over the Desert Locust Survey's responsibilities. The DLCO EA was established by a convention signed in Addis Ababa on August 22, 1962, by Ethiopia, France (for Djibouti), Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda, with Sudan joining in 1967. [3]

Until the mid-1940s, there was a lack of effective defenses against locust outbreaks in the region. Initially, arsenic mixed with bran bait was used, but it often arrived too late to protect the crops. The introduction of benzene hexachloride (BHC) in bran bait in the early 1950s marked a significant improvement but has since been banned due to its toxicity. Since then, advancements in understanding and forecasting climate, the use of aircraft, ultra-low-volume spraying with new insecticides (particularly dieldrin for hoppers), and the development of new spray equipment and tactics have enabled more effective control. [3]

Related organizations

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References

  1. Ries MW, Adriaansen C, Aldobai S, Berry K, Bal AB, Catenaccio MC, Cigliano MM, Cullen DA, Deveson T, Diongue A, Foquet B, Hadrich J, Hunter D, Johnson DL, Pablo Karnatz J, Lange CE, Lawton D, Lazar M, Latchininsky AV, Lecoq M, Le Gall M, Lockwood J, Manneh B, Overson R, Peterson BF, Piou C, Poot-Pech MA, Robinson BE, Rogers SM, Song H, Springate S, Therville C, Trumper E, Waters C, Woller DA, Youngblood JP, Zhang L, Cease A (2024) Global perspectives and transdisciplinary opportunities for locust and grasshopper pest management and research. Journal of Orthoptera Research 33(2): 169–216. doi:10.3897/jor.33.112803.
  2. Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa. (n.d.). Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA). Retrieved August 19, 2024, from https://dlco-ea.org/
  3. 3.0 3.1 Bellehu A, Pringle JWS, Brown HD, Rainey RC (1979) The Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCOEA) and its Background [and Discussion]. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 287: 265–268.