P-Locust for a timely identification of areas at risk of Desert Locust swarming in the western region of Africa

Countries in the western region of Africa have been regularly (1987-1989, 2003-2005, 2013) confronted by the Desert Locust upsurges that impact negatively food security and the ecological balance. SERVIR West Africa conducted extensive consultations and needs assessments in the region. As a result, it emerged as one of the priorities of the sub region the need of improved precision and timeliness of Desert Locust prevention that could help to strengthen the preventive strategy already ongoing. Subsequently, a series of activities were conducted, namely stakeholder mapping, service conceptualization, product document definition and prototyping. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Commission for Desert Locust Control in the Western Region (CLCPRO) is responsible for coordinating monitoring and control efforts in the region and AGRHYMET plays a central role in technical and capacity building aspects of this effort. Through the partnership of AGRHYMET and CLCPRO, a community of practice was established, consisting of representatives from ten (10) front line and affected countries as well as international institutions such as FAO, CIRAD (France), IsardSAT (Spain), CLCPRO, AGRHYMET Regional Center and NASA representatives. P-Locust under development consists of the provision of a statistical model on the presence / absence of locusts and prediction of ecological conditions favorable to the development of the species. It will help to: (i) Improve knowledge of the dynamics of Desert Locust biotopes; (ii) Streamline surveillance and control operations to reduce environmental impact; (iii) Improve resources allocation; and (iv) Improve the effectiveness in decision-making at the political level. Given the large extent of the study area, satellite imagery will be used to delimit the areas of gregarization and feed the identified models with data on soil moisture, vegetation index, temperature, rainfall, etc. The identified models will allow improving the RAMSES platform already operational in member State countries.

Key Words: Desert locust, RAMSES, Satellite imagery, Model, Western region