Ken Onyango, Kisumu County Executive Committee Member in charge of Agriculture, discussed the effect of the Red-billed Quelea birds, stating that “more than 300 acres of rice fields have been decimated by this notorious pest, and there is worse; an additional 2,000 acres are under threat. The department of Crop Protection and Safety in Nairobi has been dispatched to Kisumu region to start an aerial bird spraying control operation aimed at fighting these birds.”
Birds annihilate crops
Meanwhile, some rice farmers in the Ahero irrigation scheme, situated in the Kano plains in between the Nandi Escarpment and the Nyabondo Plateau, have actually experienced terrible losses that might encounter millions if there is no robust state intervention versus the quelea birds that have actually annihilated their fields. Rosemary Mwangi, a small rice farmer, informs of how the birds have actually left a path of damage on her crops. “Honestly speaking, we are likely to harvest nothing here at this rate,” said Mwangi. “These birds feed non-stop, both day and night. The damage that has been left behind is so huge and I don’t know how we’ll survive this year because of the impact on our livelihoods.”
Moreover, Rosemary’s explained to LifeGate that efforts to keep the birds away have actually been useless, including that although the operation to spray the fields with chemicals was relieving the scenario, it was showing to be extremely pricey.
Alternative options
Environmental activists have actually condemned the Kenyan federal government’s choice to toxin countless birds and other wild types that have actually attacked grain fields. Alternately, the activists are promoting mechanical control of the birds and other alternative techniques like monitoring their breeding and migratory patterns, putting up scarecrows and working with bird chasers to protect the farms. “I understand that the government has procured Fenthion pesticide, a chemical that is very lethal to other organisms and has the potential to injure or kill indiscriminately, with consequent adverse effects on non-target organisms,” said Bernard Ndaka Kioko, the CEO of Global Green Economy.
“I strongly feel that the use of deadly pesticides to eradicate the quelea is wrong. Besides killing rare birds and other wild species, these chemicals can harm or kill people or animals without cause, having negative effects on organisms that are not its intended targets. This is why we are encouraging the state to focus on enhancing education and awareness about quelea control. I know that often, poor post-spraying site management increases the risk of wildlife deaths relating to poisoning, especially among scavenging animals,” Kioko explained in an interview.
Endangering countless acres of rice
Due to ravaging dry spell creating chaos in the East African region, Queleas’ main food source – native lawn seeds – has considerably reduced. Consequently, the birds are progressively getting into grain fields, threatening thousands acres of rice and wheat fields. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), a single quelea can take in as much as 10 grams of grain each day. Nearly 60 tonnes of grain might be lost to birds by farmers in western Kenya. The Food and Agricultural Organization computed crop losses triggered by birds in 2021 would amount to $50 million annually.
Thus, thinking about the breeding scale, migratory pattern and the extraordinary levels of damage that the birds leaves, it is challenging to recommend financial investment in nationwide obliteration programs since flocks have no regard for nationwide borders.
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