Liberia

Army worm invasion prompts state of emergency

Article published on the 2009-01-22 Latest update 2009-02-01 16:35 TU

Army worms crawl over a patch of cow dung.
(Photo: Reuters)

Army worms, which are the caterpillar stage of the Noctuid or Owlet moth, are destroying farms in the central part of the country, prompting fears that the invasion could spread regionally to neighbouring countries, including Guinea, Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire.

The caterpillars, which are black and yellow and about five centimetres in length, move in large groups and can eat entire fields of crops within days, hence the term ‘army worms’.

Liberia’s government has requested support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and has begun sending teams armed with insecticide to eliminate the pests.

"There are two things that can be done, in the short term, go to the most affected areas […] get a safe pesticide, to get the numbers down […] in the long term you need to put in place a surveillance mechanism," said Winfred Hammond, the FAO Representative in Liberia.

But the insecticide is not entirely effective. The equipment can only spray to a height of two metres, and the worms avoid the spray and climb higher up the trees. Some specimens have been sent to Accra, Ghana so they can be identified and the most appropriate form of pesticide determined.

The invasion has also polluted water supplies, as the worms’ faeces contaminate creeks and running water.

At the weekend, the Agriculture Minister declared a state of emergency in Zota district located in Bong County, as the worm has now descended on at least 46 villages.

(Picture: Wikimedia)

People have tried setting fire to the trees which house the caterpillars, but after burning the trees, the pests return even more vigorously.

Scientists say that there could already be tens of millions of the worm, warning that they reproduce quickly. But it is difficult to assess, as many of the areas affected are not accessible by car.

"The government of Liberia has requested help from many partners," Hammond told RFI.

Farmers warn that destruction of their crops could lead to a food shortage. And their livelihoods have already been seriously affected, in a country with unemployment standing at around 85 per cent.

The plague is Liberia’s worst invasion in 30 years-- the last serious outbreak of army worms in region was in Ghana in 2006.