Tajikistan has been systematically dealing with various pests, among which locusts are one of the main threats, for the past 10 years. It is believed that locusts begin to fly around mid-May when they run out of food on the hills and then attack crops in the valley. Specialists recommend identifying and destroying pests at an early stage of development, but this is a challenging task. Missing this moment makes the situation difficult to control.
Sharif Makhmadov, a 50-year-old resident of the Kubodiyon district, recalled that there were no locust problems in Soviet times: "Sometimes it was brought by the wind from Afghanistan, but it couldn't move because it was so full. We called such phenomena 'locust rain'."
In northern Afghanistan, there is also an invasion of Moroccan locusts, but to a lesser extent than in Tajikistan or Uzbekistan.
Boburjon Najodov, a staff member of the Scientific Center "Agrotechnologies of the Future", believes that the problem of not eradicating locusts and their eggs is due to chemical treatments that are not always effective. He recommends using innovative technologies to combat locust invasions to overcome the old threat with new methods.
In the mountainous regions of Tajikistan, effective locust control is difficult, so the use of drones represents a new and revolutionary method to combat this pest. Drones allow for targeted spraying and monitoring in hard-to-reach areas, minimizing impact on the environment.
Boburjon Najodov emphasized that cooperation at both international and national levels contributes to the implementation of drones for locust control. This provides necessary funding, technical support, and knowledge exchange, which will enhance the country's ability to respond to threats and increase the agricultural system's resilience to future invasions.
