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Science In Action: Food security, locusts and Covid -19

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Food security, locusts and Covid -19

11/06/2020 GMT

BBC World Service - Science In Action, Food security, locusts and Covid -19

Efforts to eradicate locust swarms and save harvests continue despite the pandemic

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic efforts to counter massive swarms of locusts across East Africa have continued. In many places this has been very effective, killing up to 90% of locusts. However, the threat of repeated waves of locusts remains says Cyril Ferrand, who leads the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's Resilience Team in East Africa.

Conversely West Africa is unaffected by locusts and with a block on imports local producers have seen demand grow for their produce, an unusual positive effect from the pandemic according to Sandrine Dury from the French agricultural research agency CIRAD.

We examine the potential for a second wave of coronavirus as many countries relax lockdown measures, businesses reopen and mass protests take to the streets. Epidemiologist Carl Bergstrom is interested in working out which of these movements is likely to have the most impact.

And from South Africa, how radio telescope engineers there have turned their hands to developing new ventilators appropriate for regional needs. 

 

(Image: Desert locust. Credit: Reuters)

Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Julian Siddle

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