Impact of desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) infestation on crop yield loss and food security in Ethiopia: Management interventions and policy implications

Abstract:

Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) infestations are among the most catastrophic threats to agricultural production and food security in sub-Saharan Africa. This multi-season study quantified crop yield losses across six major Ethiopian staple crops under three infestation severity levels, assessed food security consequences using the HFIAS instrument, and evaluated the comparative cost-effectiveness of six management interventions across 540 smallholder households in Afar, Oromia, and Amhara regions (2020-2022). Severe infestation caused yield losses of 74.8-86.2%. Combined IPM reduced severe food insecurity prevalence by 34.6 percentage points and protected 31.7% more yield per household compared to no-intervention baselines. Early warning system participation produced the most favourable cost-effectiveness ratio (0.46 pp/USD) 3.5 times higher than chemical control. Policy analysis identified six critical gaps including inadequate transboundary surveillance, gender-exclusive early warning networks, and insufficient extension coverage ^{[1, 3, 6]}.