Ecobreves – War on Locusts

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

LIMA, Feb 18 2001 (IPS) - The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has joined the war in Peru against a plague of locusts that last year destroyed more than 20,000 hectares of forests and cropland. The locusts that are devastating Cajamarca province in the northern sierra have survived the army's flamethrowers and insecticides sprayed from helicopters. The government initiative to buy the insects collected by peasant farmers for use in livestock and bird feed has also proven ineffective.

The FAO's participation in eradication efforts is outlined in a technical assistance project signed with the Peruvian government in early February.