Locust Swarms, 2020’s Latest Surprise
By Ramanatha Shenoy
Have you seen the harmless, common grasshopper on your morning jog? Well, now meet its evil twin, the desert locust. Certain varieties of grasshopper… let's call them Dr. Jekyll… turn into locusts… Mr. Hyde, after swilling their own serotonin! This boost of serotonin, caused by certain weather conditions, turns these into marauding, insatiable swarms.
Unfortunately, across North Eastern Africa, weather patterns have been nearly perfect for triggering locust swarms, and mild summers and sporadic rainfall caused many flare-ups in different regions that eventually merged together. Generally harmless to humans, locusts can easily cause crores of rupees worth of damages as they fly across countries, devastating agricultural lands, and produce.
And they are coming. Today, while the country is trying to fight off a global pandemic, we also face the challenge of dealing with the worst locust swarm we’ve seen since 1962. And it’s just getting started.
When it comes to waging war against these winged invaders, it’s important to realize that locust swarms can move from state to state, country to country, incredibly quickly and without warning. No agricultural commodity is safe, as locusts feed on pulses, cotton, vegetables, fruits, and nearly everything else. So while the Indian Government has reached out to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and affected African countries to build an international consensus on the approach to contain the outbreak, we must plan for the worst, while we hope for the best.
Dharmendra Singh, a WayCool Field Extension officer based out of Indore, described that the “first phase of the locust attack was limited to a few specific areas and crops, luckily hitting those farms that had just recently harvested their pulses before the attack. A few other farmers have been unlucky as they had recently sowed green gram, common for this region, and the locusts destroyed all their plants. Farmers and Govt officials have not allowed the swarm to settle and monitored its movement, took spray control measures when and where it settled at the night.”
Odisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and other affected states have started preparing their fire brigade with water cannons laced with insecticide to tackle the swarm, whenever it settles in an area. The government is also exploring the use of drones for spraying insecticide, acting as an Air Force to support the troops on the ground.
The Maharashtra Agriculture Minister, Mr Dada Bhuse, said that “Around 50% locust swarms were killed in Maharashtra by the agriculture department” which shows the impact that the government’s measures are having.
The bulk of WayCool’s farmer base is concentrated around Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Through our Outgrow Program (Read - Moving Towards a Sustainable Agricultural Model) we have built deep, interdependent relationships with over 35,000 farmers and work with them from the beginning of the crop cultivation process. Given this level of engagement, we have the unique opportunity to use our technology for crop planning to mitigate risks that we can expect from this current crisis, and have already started working with farmers and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) on the ground to build a strategy. At present it seems like the South Indian farms will not be affected, but we plan to take precautions all the same.
Actions being taken by WayCool’s Outgrow Program include:
- Phone and online-based education sessions with farmers and FPC office bearers, along with alerts sent through our iWAP system (Integrated Weather Advisory Platform).
- For severely affected areas, planned for repeated ploughing of land to destroy egg masses that would have been left behind by the swarms.
- Started the application of organic insecticides and neem spray, proven to be effective.
- Deployed home remedy of charcoal powder, lime, and clay, suggested by a Hyderabad based Krishi Vigyan Kendra.
- Interestingly, loud noises generated by drums, tin containers, or loud speakers, keep the swarm agitated and mobile, which prevents them from settling into a field and destroying the crop.
- The most effective action being taken, however, is the application of concentrated doses of organophosphate chemicals in “Ultra Low Volume” formulations. These are absolutely harmless to humans, but help prevent the settling of these swarms.
- Currently working on acquiring more hand-held sprayers for our farmers, which remains the biggest bottleneck for the successful application of this solution.
As rabi harvest is over and kharif sowing is yet to start, there is limited risk to crop production in the near term. There is the slight possibility of affected crops having supply shortages, both because farmers would have delayed sowing until the swarm has dissipated, and because of crop loss caused by the swarm itself.
For now, it is important to keep a watchful eye and never let the enemy settle. This war is being fought by individual farmers, NGOs, startups, companies, and authorities hand-in-hand across the country, as they fight to preserve their livelihood while also navigating the effects of a global pandemic. It is critical that we support these warriors as well, to prevent a monsoon-triggered increase in swarms. We are providing our support to the best extent possible, but we welcome further inputs, suggestions, and ideas on what more can be done. Do write to us with your suggestions and guidance. We will also keep you posted on our learnings.
Best of luck to you all as we continue to work through the COVID crisis, and best of luck to Farmers across the country for their battle. We are with you.
— Ramanatha Shenoy, Head of WayCool’s Outgrow Program
