Real Time Evaluation Of Fao S Response To Desert Locust Upsurge 2020 2021 Phase I

Over the course of 2020, the most devastating Desert Locust upsurge of the past 25 years has spread across parts of the Middle East, the greater Horn of Africa, and southwest Asia. The upsurge poses an unprecedented risk to livelihoods and food security in some of the most food insecure countries in the world. FAO and its partners have mobilized more than USD 163 million since January 2020. The response includes three key pillars: (1) curbing the spread of desert locusts (including surveillance) (2) safeguarding livelihoods and promoting recovery and (3) coordination and preparedness of the rapid surge support. In this context, the FAO Office of Evaluation (OED) has been requested by the Director-General to conduct a real time evaluation (RTE), conducted across three phases spread over one year. Each phase will cover specific aspects of the response. Phase 1 focuses on leadership, management and coordination of the response and was conducted from June to October 2020. The findings, conclusions and recommendations of this phase 1 have been presented to a wide range of stakeholders and are developed in the Phase 1 report. Phase 2 focuses on results as well as management and operations at country level. Phase 3 will complete the RTE process drawing lessons for future operations and FAO’s work on desert locust in the region.

Over the course of 2020–2021, the most devastating desert locust upsurge of the past 25 years has spread across parts of the Near East, the Greater Horn of Africa and Southwest Asia. The upsurge poses an unprecedented risk to livelihoods and food security in some of the most food insecure countries in the world. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its partners have mobilized more than USD 243 million since January 2020. The response includes three key pillars: i) curbing the spread of desert locusts (including surveillance); ii) safeguarding livelihoods and promoting recovery; and iii) coordination and preparedness of the rapid surge support. In this context, the FAO Office of Evaluation (OED) has been requested by the Director-General to conduct a real time evaluation (RTE), conducted across three phases spread over one year. Each phase will cover specific aspects of the response. Phase III focuses on developing recommendations to improve preparedness for and response to future upsurges, collected through a consultative process with critical stakeholders involved in the desert locust response 2020–2021. Eight priority areas for recommendations emerged from this process, with distinct recommendations being made across each one: i) procurement and positioning; ii) training of local locust response teams; iii) embedding sustainable national locust control capacity; iv) optimizing the regional architecture for locust response; v) pesticide selection and stock management; vi) data collection, analysis and dissemination; vii) livelihoods support; and viii) innovation and learning. For each priority area, the evaluation has made a range of recommendations targeting either FAO headquarters, donors and partners, or FAO country offices.

A devastating desert locust upsurge has spread across parts of the Near East, the Greater Horn of Africa and South West Asia in 2020–2021, posing risks to livelihoods and food security in the region. FAO's intervention has been to curb the spread of desert locust, safeguarding livelihoods and providing recovery, and coordinating and preparing the rapid surge support. This report showcases the second phase of the real-time evaluation, in which the following issues have been investigated: i) country level results from case studies; ii) management and operational processes; and iii) extent to which lessons from countries and regions are transferred to other contexts. Six priority areas emerged from this process: i) country level training and capacity development; ii) national locust control and architecture; iii) procurement; iv) pesticide management; v) livelihoods support; and vi) innovation and learning.

On top of a decade of exacerbated disaster loss, exceptional global heat, retreating ice and rising sea levels, humanity and our food security face a range of new and unprecedented hazards, such as megafires, extreme weather events, desert locust swarms of magnitudes previously unseen, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Agriculture underpins the livelihoods of over 2.5 billion people – most of them in low-income developing countries – and remains a key driver of development. At no other point in history has agriculture been faced with such an array of familiar and unfamiliar risks, interacting in a hyperconnected world and a precipitously changing landscape. And agriculture continues to absorb a disproportionate share of the damage and loss wrought by disasters. Their growing frequency and intensity, along with the systemic nature of risk, are upending people’s lives, devastating livelihoods, and jeopardizing our entire food system. This report makes a powerful case for investing in resilience and disaster risk reduction – especially data gathering and analysis for evidence informed action – to ensure agriculture’s crucial role in achieving the future we want.

This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2021 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition.

This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2021 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition

This report outlines the results of a household survey carried out in August–September 2020 to assess the impact of desert locust invasions on food security and livelihoods in Uganda. In 2019–2020, the Horn of Africa was affected by what was described by FAO as the worst desert locust infestation in over 25 years. Desert locust swarms pose a severe threat to agriculture-based livelihoods, particularly in areas where food security is already fragile. The first swarm of locusts entered the Ugandan subregion of Karamoja – already the most food-insecure subregion in the country – on 9 February 2020. By September 2020, desert locusts had been sighted in over 20 districts in the Acholi, Elgon, Karamoja, Lango, and Teso subregions. To assess the impact of the desert locust invasions, a survey of 7 800 households was carried out in the affected subregions. Data collection, processing, and analysis were carried out by a technical team comprising staff of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, district local governments, Makerere University and FAO; Catholic Relief Services provided support during the collection and validation of the data. The assessment found that the desert locust invasions had had a negative impact on the livelihoods and food security of a majority of households in all surveyed subregions. Based on the results of the assessment, a number of recommendations for response options (including control measures and livelihood support programmes) were formulated. A critical need to improve Uganda’s desert locust preparedness by strengthening the country’s capacities for real-time surveillance, rapid verification and deployment of control teams upon confirmation was highlighted.