Agriculture

Quelea bird infestation destroys over 4,000 hectares of crops in Amhara region

AI SUMMARY

A massive Quelea bird infestation in the Habru district of Amhara's North Wollo zone has destroyed over 4,000 hectares of sorghum crops.

A bird infestation has destroyed over 4,000 hectares of sorghum, accounting for 38 percent of the 12,000 hectares planted in the Habru district of North Wollo Zone.
The outbreak affects 36 out of 37 kebeles in the district, with 17 kebeles experiencing severe damage including Girana, Mehal Amba, Libso, Jarota, and Habru Ligo.
The district has a total cultivable area of 26,250 hectares, of which 12,774 hectares were covered by sorghum.
The birds are also damaging teff crops and grazing grass by uprooting seeds to build nests.
Aerial chemical spraying was conducted three times based on GPS tracking of roosting sites, but proved unsatisfactory because the swarms split and move across different locations.
Traditional deterrent methods by farmers have been ineffective due to the large, dense nature of the bird swarms.
El Niño has affected 20 out of the 37 kebeles in the district, causing teff seeds to fail to germinate, animal feed shortages, and severe drinking water scarcity where residents receive only two jerrycans daily on rotation.
Efforts are underway to transition farmers whose crops were completely destroyed to irrigation farming.
Quelea bird swarms have also been detected in eight districts of the North Shewa Zone where aerial spraying is currently being conducted.