The Chobe and Ngamiland regions lie along the Okavango Delta and more of the people rely on agriculture to sustain their livelihoods. The outbreak of African Migratory Locust (AML) in the two regions was a thorn in the flesh of subsistence farmers who watched helplessly as the AML ravaged their crops. Both areas are also home to thousands of wildlife and this makes it difficult for one to access some of the locust breeding areas on foot. The abundant waters and islands of the Okavango Delta seem to have been breeding areas for the AML that later descended on crop fields and destroyed crops and grazing lands in the two regions in the year 2020. This called for the intervention of the Botswana Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security (MoA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as they partnered to safeguard the country’s food security from threats posed by the AML. 

Through funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), FAO in partnership with the MOA have scaled up their control operations with aerial surveillance in Chobe and Ngamiland regions. The locust project control strategy is based on the principle of early detection and rapid reaction as part of its commitment to anticipate, prepare for and respond to crises and ultimately ensure that locust populations do not spread to currently unaffected areas.

"Aerial surveillance aids early detection of locust and the spread as well as the level of the outbreak of the pest. It covers a large area in a short period of time hence decisions can be made as soon as information is received. The main purpose of aerial surveillance is to survey hard–to–reach areas to monitor locust outbreaks. Early Detection is important in pest control to prepare control operations on time as well as to mitigate impacts it may cause on food security and livelihood status. Above all the efforts in place, there was a need for aerial support in hard-to-reach areas because Chobe is an animal-infested area where accessibility in terms of vehicles is very limited,” said Seeng Maane, Chobe District Agricultural Coordinator. 

She added that the MOA appreciates the technical assistance it continues to get from FAO who is the main contributor in terms of carrying out the control activities mostly around aerial surveillance. About 8 600 ha was surveyed covering Chobe national park, Riverfront from Mabele to Parakarungu, Linyanthi, Goha, and Pandamatenga area as well as Kakolwane plains which is along the flood plains because usually, that’s the areas used for breeding purposes. In Northwest District, aerial surveillance covered 697 000 ha in Mababe depression, Xaxaba, Beetsha, Qurube, Nngocho, Tubu/Boradau, Lake Ngami, Qcwihaba, Xaixai, Chukumuchu, and Xaudum. Farmers in the Chobe district have also applauded FAO and MoA for scaling up efforts to combat AML through aerial surveillance and aerial control. They noted that a helicopter covers a larger area over a short period of time and it has proven to be more effective during the control operations. 

“In the first outbreak we had people from the Department of plant protection who sprayed the locust using motorized sprayers, but this proved to be insufficient as we continued to see more swarms invading our fields. As soon as they introduced aerial control, we saw more dead locusts in the bushes and open lands. Aerial control was a game-changer in the control of the first locust outbreak,” said Grandson Kenalemang, a farmer in Parakarungu village.

An estimated 21 728 ha comprising 730 ha of crops and 20 998 ha of grassland and pasture were affected by the AML. In response to the outbreak, the Government of Botswana mounted sustained control operations, primarily using vehicle-mounted sprayers and knapsacks. These operations outstretched government capacity and this prompted the government to employ the early detection tactic as it might need little manpower to control AML if the pest is detected early and the area is not highly infested.