Food and Agriculture Organization said Thursday it will contribute to ten countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus to save farmland from a crisis of locust threatening food security for 20 million people.
"Locusts are a serious threat to agriculture, food security and livelihoods in both regions, including adjacent areas in the North of the Afghanistan and the Federation of southern Russia," the Rome-based FAO said in a statement.
Food agency said it was about to start a five-year program to save up to 25 million hectares of cultivated land, with the help of the United States.
Many countries have requested the assistance of FAO to stop the swarms of locusts, which are able to fly up to 100 kilometres (60 miles) a day and adapt readily to weather models, including climate change.
"As borders are located through traditional habitats of locusts and areas, breeding when a country faces locust infestations, it is likely that at least a neighbouring country is facing a similar situation""locust expert FAO Annie Monard said."
The Agency said that the program hopes to introduce new techniques in locust using less hazardous pesticides for the environment, including bio-pesticides.
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