The following article highlights the vital importance of infrastructure in terms of all aspects of food security. Swarms of locusts are threatening millions of people`s food supply and livelihoods in East Africa. But it is actually the lack of infrastructure that is the cause of the threat. Lack of infrastructure makes regions inaccessible.

re posted from                           XINHUANET

Kenya says insecurity, poor infrastructure fuelling spread of desert locusts

NAIROBI, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) — Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture said Monday that insecurity in northern parts of the country alongside poor infrastructure is fuelling the spread of desert locusts.

Peter Munya, cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives said that insecurity in northeastern Kenyan counties of Mandera and Wajir is hampering aerial and ground spraying of the pests.

“This has allowed some swarms and swarmlets to seep through all the way to Isiolo and now Nyandarua, Tharaka Nithi and Nakuru counties,” Munya said during a high-level emergency desert locust consultative meeting in Nairobi.

He said that poor infrastructure is a huge challenge, adding that some regions with swarms are hard to access due to lack of roads, gazetted forests, reserves and game parks.

Munya said that teams fighting desert locusts also lack storage and transportation facilities while poor communication with the public is undermining efforts to contain the pests.

He said that the government is in the process of developing a desert locust management strategy to address the menace in the long term since the locusts may be in the country for a longer period of time.

“Here in Kenya, desert locust invasion poses a serious threat to achievement of one of the pillars of Big Four Agenda – attainment of 100 percent food and nutrition security in the country,” said Carla Mucavi, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representative to Kenya said.

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http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2021-02/09/c_139730887.htm