Collecting Locusts for Poultry Feed (Mohammed Khurshid, Pakistan Ministry of National Food Security)
Pakistan was hit hard by the 2019-2020 Locust invasions. With vast swathes of crops destroyed, the federal government had to declare a state of national emergency. In response, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research led a project (in parts of Punjab province), wherein local communities were encouraged to catch locusts at night (when they are not flying but sort of resting on the ground)….and sell them to poultry feed manufacturers. On average, 1 community in Punjab province was able to catch 7 tonnes of locust per night, and make about 120 dollars for one night’s catch upon selling it off. This way, the swarm was contained, while creating livelihood opportunities. In this presentation at the 1st Virtual Practitioners Conference on Desert Locust Management, the Ministry’s Mohammed Khurshid talks about that very initiative.
