Chapter 445 Locust plague and robbery by fire
After the wedding, Ernst had a lot of things to deal with. The construction progress of railways and factories was generally not a big problem. As for the reconstruction of canals and rivers, Constantine Responsible for supervision.
"Your Highness, this is a telegram sent back from the Northern Province. According to local government information, a locust plague broke out in the Vasangali Sultanate next door."
Ernst took the telegram and read it. Standing up: "This is what happened! Let me take a look, um, desert locusts, old friends."
To say they are old friends is not an exaggeration at all. Ernst had dealt with this kind of desert locusts in his previous life. , of course, the most important thing is the over-exaggeration of the Internet, which makes this kind of locusts seem to be an incurable disease, which makes Ernst, who was working in Tanzania at the time, speechless.
One of the lowest rumors is that in 2020: African desert locusts will cross the Red Sea, invade India, and may enter the Far East.
Never mind whether desert locusts can adapt to the environment of the Far East, let’s just say that the origin of the locust plague was actually the Arabian Peninsula. However, the pictures and texts provided by the unscrupulous media were all about Kenya and Somalia, which misled people. The locust plague arrived in India from Africa across the Red Sea.
The locust plague crossed the Red Sea, but jumped from the Arabian Peninsula to Somalia and Kenya. In fact, the Arab region should be blamed for this incident. The source of the locust plague was the Rub al-Khali Desert. This desert They belong to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as the tycoons of the Middle East, did not play their role at all. In response to the civil strife in Yemen at that time, pesticides were not spread in time, resulting in a second breeding of locusts, which eventually resulted in a once-in-a-century event. Africa is the victim of the locust plague.
Somalia is already suffering from famine, and it is even more so when it encounters a locust plague. The situation in Kenya is slightly better. However, the harm caused by the locust plague to the two countries is far greater than that of the Arabian Peninsula. Families who are not already wealthy are even worse.
Just by hearing the name, you know the activity areas of desert locusts. Desert locusts mainly inhabit desert and semi-desert areas. Expand the areas that may be threatened, that is, the intersection of deserts and grasslands. Of course, if a large-scale outbreak occurs, the area that can be affected will be wider, but it is only an impact and does not mean a disaster.
This range roughly covers the entire North Africa (Sahara Desert), the Red Sea coast, the Arabian Peninsula and the arid northwest area of the South Asian subcontinent (currently India), and the Horn of East Africa.
The areas in East Africa that are likely to be invaded by desert locusts are Turkana Province (Ethiopian Plateau), Northern Province and Juba Province (Somalia), Oriental Province and South Prussia Province (Kenya), Uganda and South Sudan , and parts of Tanzania.
Some areas are very spiritual. Why are they some areas? They are the junction zone, or the intersection zone between semi-humid and semi-arid areas.
In other words, desert locusts are not adapted to the humid climate environment in the south, which is actually the case. However, even so, the area that may be affected in East Africa exceeds more than one million square kilometers (deserts and semi-arid deserts, arid deserts Mainly grassland), so defensive measures must be taken.
“Inform the Ministry of Agriculture to ask the pest control centers in the northern region to take preventive measures to avoid the spread of the disaster and reduce the impact on our East Africa. In particular, the Eastern Province and South Prussia Province must take strict precautions and give full play to their population advantages. Avoid major disasters”
As for desert locusts, East Africa is unable to solve them, at least for now, and can only try to avoid them.
In fact, Ernst did have a complete set of treatment plans, but they were of no use. The main reason was that the population of East Africa in the Somali region was too small.
The most effective way to deal with locusts is nothing more than advanced scientific and technological means, which East Africa cannot do anything about. The second is the human sea tactic, which involves mobilizing the masses and using various means to eliminate the locust plague.
However, the total population of East Africa in the Somali region is only over 300,000, and the desert area is hundreds of thousands of square kilometers. The area where desert locusts live is the desert. It is impossible to let all our people go into the desert to destroy the locusts. Spawning ground, that’s simply not realistic.
Finally, there is biological prevention and control. This method is not a solution at all. The difference between desert locusts and other locusts is that they move in the desert. Herding chickens and ducks are ineffective. Who is in the desert? Raise chickens and ducks here!
In the same way, it is difficult for other organisms to survive in the desert, so it is unrealistic to introduce other organisms to control locusts. Once desert locusts overflow, there are really no effective control methods except technological means.
Of course, East Africa is not doing nothing. Somalia has a small population, but Kenya has a lot, especially in the southern region where the population is relatively concentrated. Moreover, southern Kenya is an important cotton and coffee producing area in East Africa, so we still have to be active. Mobilize local forces to prevent locust invasion. Monitor the invasion path of locusts and carry out manual intervention in areas where locusts lay eggs, such as soil plowing, fire, irrigation and other effective measures.
In fact, when locusts enter the East African Plateau, they will not be able to make a big impact. Geography and environment will block most locusts.
For example, desert locusts are extremely dependent on wind direction and generally fly with the wind. However, most of East Africa is controlled by the southeast trade wind, so if desert locusts want to enter the East African Plateau, they must go against the wind.
Not only that, as the terrain of the East African Plateau rises, the temperature also drops, and desert locusts like high temperatures, especially temperatures of more than 40 degrees, and reproduce the fastest. This is why desert locusts do not invade mid- and high-latitude areas (just such as Europe).
So after desert locusts break out in northern East Africa, most of them will move to the Arabian Peninsula and the South Asian subcontinent (India) with the southwest monsoon.
The location of this locust outbreak is in northern Somalia. East Africa only needs to take preventive measures in Kenya, an important agricultural producing area. As for the Somali region in East Africa, it depends on destiny.
The possible consequence is nothing more than an increase in the price of Somali bananas imported from Europe. Just wait until the disaster has passed before planting again. Anyway, the climate is the same all year round, and there is water from the Shabelle and Juba rivers for irrigation, so replanting can be done at any time. .
“Next, we will do a good job in food dispatch to ensure food security in Somalia, and let our people contact Zanzibar businessmen. If this locust plague expands to the Middle East, we must fill the vacancies as soon as possible. , seize the grain market ”
If the Middle East is hit by a disaster, it will definitely be good news for East Africa. If every locust plague can achieve this effect, then Ernst hopes that this kind of "good thing" will happen every year, and it will not be a big deal if East Africa suffers some disasters.
Because Ernst never vigorously developed agriculture in northern East Africa, 80% of the food in Somalia was transported from the Port of Dar es Salaam and Mombasa.
Without too much investment, there will naturally be no big losses. Although Somalia’s banana planting industry is very important to Somalia, it can also be grown in other areas of East Africa, so it is not irreplaceable.
The agricultural production areas in East Africa can currently be divided into three main areas. One is the East African plateau wheat planting area, the other is the coastal rice planting area, and the other is the Great Lakes area. The Great Lakes area is a multi-functional planting area with everything kind.
Followed by Zambia, Zimbabwe, Turkana Province, then the Northern Pastures, the rubber growing areas of the Mitumba Mountains, and finally Somalia (Northern Province and Juba Province).
Basically, important grain producing areas and cash crop producing areas will not be affected by the locust plague. If it is placed in a country with a free economic system, it will definitely not be able to withstand this level of disaster.
But the East African Kingdom is not a country with a free economic system. The losses suffered by the unilateral disaster-stricken areas will be covered by the state. Then the farmers will not go bankrupt, and if they do not go bankrupt, there will be no turmoil.
The same cannot be said for the Middle East. Once it suffers huge agricultural losses, colonies such as the Ottoman Empire and Egypt will have a headache.
Ernst even unkindly hopes that this locust plague will severely damage the wheat producing areas in northwest India (mainly today), so that East Africa can occupy more grain markets.
Of course, just think about this idea. A once-in-a-century locust plague is not so easy to encounter.
(End of this chapter)