In 2018, a series of cyclones hit southern portions of the Saudi Peninsula and East Africa. Those sustained rains nearly two years ago set the stage today for one of the worst locust infestations Africa has seen in a century.

Swarms have consumed hundreds of thousands of acres in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, creating both a public health crisis and potential economic disaster. 

Researchers at Arizona State University’s Global Locust Initiative have been looking for solutions to locust and grasshopper infestations and how they impact local and global food supplies. Marion Le Gall is a post-doctoral researcher with the initiative.

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