Plant pests diseases : the FAO experience

الملخص EN

The Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria Forskål) is probably the oldest and most dangerous migratory pest in the world.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been operating a surveillance and early warning system for the past 30 years.

The system incorporates the collection, transmission and analysis of locust and ecological field data with models, meteorological data and remote sensing imagery to assess current conditions and forecast the scale, timing and location of locust breeding and migration.

A variety of information products are disseminated to warn affected countries and donors so that early action can be taken to avoid the development of locust plagues and protect crops and food security.

Lessons learned in the Desert Locust system can be applied to other surveillance and monitoring systems.

This paper provides an overview of the Desert Locust early warning system and its current application to other transboundary plant pests and diseases, such as wheat rusts.