Agriculture
Quelea Bird Swarms Destroy Over 4,000 Hectares of Crops in Amhara Region
The Reporter (Amharic) · 4 hours ago · Read the Full Story on The Reporter (Amharic)
AI SUMMARY
A massive outbreak of Quelea birds in the Amhara region's Habru district has destroyed over 4,000 hectares of sorghum crops and impacted dozens of kebeles.
- A Quelea bird infestation in Habru district, North Wollo Zone, has destroyed over 4,000 hectares of sorghum crops.
- The outbreak affects 36 out of the 37 kebeles in the district, destroying about 38 percent of the total sorghum planted.
- Seventeen kebeles, including Girana, Mehal Amba, Libso, Jarota, and Habru Ligo, have suffered the most severe damage.
- Aerial chemical spraying based on GPS tracking of nighttime roosts was conducted three times, but proved insufficient due to the birds fragmenting and moving locations.
- Farmers have been unable to deter the birds using traditional methods because the flocks are dense and do not disperse easily upon landing.
- The birds are also causing damage by uprooting teff and grass seeds to build nests.
- Twenty kebeles in the district are experiencing El Niño impacts, leading to germination failures in teff, fodder and drinking water shortages, and water rationing.
- Authorities are attempting to help farmers whose crops were destroyed switch to irrigation-based agriculture.
- Similar Quelea bird outbreaks have been reported in eight districts of the North Shewa Zone, where aerial spraying is underway to prevent major crop losses.
Related
Quelea bird infestation destroys over 4,000 hectares of crops in Amhara region
The Reporter (Amharic) · 22 hours ago
Ethiopia’s Formal Seed System Falls Short, Supplying Under 20 Percent Of Demand
The Reporter · yesterday
Ethiopia Targets 192,000 Hectares in Nationwide Avocado Expansion Drive
Ethiopia Today · last week
Keeping The Water Flowing: Ethiopia’s Farmers Turn To Solar
The Reporter · last week