FAO August 7 2020

Figure: A day on the job with Miles Woodgate, a pilot conducting locust control operations in Somalia

The alarm went off a few minutes ago, before the morning call to prayer. It is now a quarter past five and still pitch-black outside. Miles Woodgate is eating breakfast and getting ready for the long day ahead fighting Desert Locusts. This Englishman is one of the pilots conducting aerial spraying in the easternmost country of the Horn of Africa -- the first time in 30 years that the security situation has allowed for this to happen in Somalia. Together with the rest of the crew of Guardian Helicopters, a company hired by FAO to help in Somalia’s anti-locust campaign, Miles is going to be picked up at 6.00 at the hotel to make their way to the airport.

“We got on the road a month ago. Within that month, the aircrafts have been flown from the [United] States [of America]. We reassembled them in Nairobi (Kenya), flew to Mogadishu (Somalia) and we are up here now in Garowe (Puntland State of Somalia), and we have been spraying for the last two weeks,” recalls Miles. “Especially with the [delays because of the] COVID-19 situation and the difficulty in getting here, it is quite amazing how it has all been pulled together,” he adds.

First on the agenda is the regular morning briefing with the team, FAO experts and Government officials at the airport. “The day is actually organized by a phone call from Dr Hared in the evening before the flying day,” explains Miles. Dr Hared Nur is a Somali Desert Locust expert working with FAO to coordinate the locust control operations in Puntland and Galmudug. Based on the information received the night before from ground spotters, targets for the day are set.

The art of spraying from the air

“Especially when they are adults and form swarms, Desert Locusts are a highly mobile target, thus aerial control operations are the most effective because they allow greater flexibility to combat locusts within a much broader area,” explains Nur. These aerial operations, funded by USAID, include surveillance, allowing teams to act quickly to contain any upsurge.

The tanks now refueled and the briefing over, it is time to take off. “A typical flying day for us, we will log between six and seven flying hours. It is a mixture of getting the helicopter to the spraying location and obviously the spraying,” says Miles.

Today the team is heading out to the base in Qardho, where they will refuel and load the biopesticides before they start the 2-hour job of spraying a nearby infested area. This nature-based biopesticide specifically targets locusts and does not harm the environment, nor does it pose any danger to humans or livestock.

Logistics are the main challenge. It is not just about refueling, but most importantly making sure that sites are controlled and that the zones in which they land are safe for the pilots and the ground crew as well. Somalia continues to face conflict in many parts of the country.

Also, to spray Desert Locusts, you need to fly low, “the lower, the better,” stresses Miles. “If we can fly one and a half to two metres [from the ground], that’s perfect,” he adds. This is the best way to optimize coverage and avoid the strong winds that can blow the biopesticides away from their target.

The crew usually gets back to the hotel around 17.30 or 18.00, but for Miles, the day is not over yet. He still needs to do that vital paperwork for FAO and the government on the areas covered, surveyed and sprayed for that day. FAO will collect and analyze this material, updating the Locust Watch dashboard on which the international community relies for real-time information

Miles’ phone rings one more time: it is Hared checking in about tomorrow. Today’s work is done. But tomorrow’s is just starting.

See http://www.fao.org/fao-stories/article/en/c/1296523/