• Authorities plan to treat 600,000 hectares in the 2025/2026 anti-locust campaign
• The program is backed by $7.3 million in World Bank funding with FAO support
• Rising locust pressure adds to drought and other major agricultural threats

Madagascar officially launched its 2025/2026 anti-locust campaign on January 17, with plans to treat 600,000 hectares of farmland exposed to locust invasions. The target almost doubles the area covered during the previous campaign, reflecting a sharp intensification of control efforts.

During the previous campaign, the island treated 302,827 hectares of infested agricultural land through a combination of aerial and ground operations, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Authorities say the expanded operations this season should reduce the impact of current infestations and help prevent major crop losses.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that an average swarm of 40 million locusts can consume up to 80 tons of vegetation per day, posing a direct threat to food security and the resilience of rural communities. “The fight against locusts is not only a technical operation, but a key pillar of Madagascar’s modernization, serving rural development and the protection of farming households,” said Rasatarimanana José Nirina, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock.

$7.3 million allocated for the 2025/2026 campaign

The budget allocated by the Malagasy government for the 2025/2026 anti-locust campaign amounts to $7.3 million, financed by the World Bank and supported technically by the FAO. According to the authorities, the funds will be used to modernize and equip the National Anti-Locust Control Center (IFVM) and to strengthen the skills of more than 70 agents, enabling Madagascar to rely on specialized technicians.

These initiatives are part of ongoing efforts by the government and its partners to reduce emergency responses and prioritize long-term preventive management of locust outbreaks.

Since April 2024, populations of Malagasy migratory locusts, characterized by strong gregarious behavior in the form of swarms and hopper bands, have developed in several southern regions of the country. This situation further weakens food security as Madagascar faces multiple major agricultural threats, including a persistent drought since 2023, outbreaks of Rift Valley fever, and fall armyworm infestations reported since 2017.

Against this backdrop, Antananarivo launched an emergency program in 2024 worth $21.2 million covering the period 2024–2028 to respond to locust invasions. The four-year program, co-financed by the government, the FAO, and Norway, aims to strengthen aerial and ground spraying capacity, combining pesticides, growth inhibitors, and biopesticides, while also establishing surveillance and early warning systems.

The objective of the program is to break the reproduction cycles of the Malagasy migratory locust and limit its impact on agriculture and food security, which is becoming increasingly concerning.

According to projections from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), about 1.6 million people are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity in Madagascar between February and April 2026. “The contributing factors to acute malnutrition are very low food consumption, soaring food prices, poor market access, high child morbidity (diarrhea, malaria), inadequate healthcare practices, and a weak health system, in a context of vulnerability aggravated by climatic and socio-economic shocks. Without rapid intervention, child survival is directly threatened in several districts.,” the IPC warned in its latest analysis of acute food insecurity and malnutrition on the island.

Stéphanas Assocle