Could Entomophagy Be an Effective Mitigation Measure in Desert Locust Management?

Abstract

The desert locust has been a notorious pest since ancient times. A population upsurge hit Pakistan in 2019 and caused tremendous damage to agriculture and livelihoods. To take advantage of this ongoing upsurge, we conducted a field study to verify whether locust collection could be an interesting control method to protect crops in the event of an invasion, as well as an accepted food resource for poor rural communities. A village in the Thar desertic region was selected as a type-locality. An awareness campaign was launched to promote the collection and consumption of locusts as well as to alert people of their nutritional value. Two large swarms arrived near the village and several other swarms affected places nearby. Around 3033 kg of locusts were collected through handpicking at night. Most of the locusts were eaten and, as a result, hoppers of the next generation did not emerge in the type-locality; however, hopper bands appeared in areas where entomophagy was not practiced. The study area had less locust activity because swarms could not lay eggs due to entomophagy by the villagers. The consumption of desert locusts could be an effective practice to prevent malnutrition and protein deficiency and, to a certain extent, an efficient mitigation measure to help local populations to better protect themselves and their crops against locust outbreaks. Collection and consumption of locusts should be encouraged while remaining realistic about its real impact on locust control. This should also be done in concert with local authorities to take into account the risks to human health and to avoid the consumption of insects treated with pesticides.