Kontakt: Dr. Stephan Krall
Projekt Biologisch-integrierte Heuschreckenbekämpfung
Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH Postfach 5180, 65726 Eschborn
Tel.: ++49-6196-793289, Fax: ++49-6196-797413 E-mail: stephan.krall@gtz.de
KUDYA NGATI DZOMBE - to eat like a locust
DZOMBE SILIKHUTA - a locust is never satisfied
Malawian proverbs
1 Introduction
In response to a request by the Malawian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the Federal Republic of Germany made financial support of DM 175,000.00 available for the campaign to control the red locust (Nomadacris septemfasciata) in 1997. The amount was handled by the GTZ.
The use of the funds was tied to the GTZ specifications which envisaged the following division:
|
1. Monitoring measures |
25,000 DM |
|
2. Control costs |
90,000 DM |
|
3. Insecticides |
50,000 DM |
|
4. Protective clothing |
10,000 DM |
|
175,000 DM |
(Exchange rate 1 DM approx. 8.5 K)
(Exchange between items 1 and 2 was possible)
The task of the short-term assignment was to check the use of the funds and to assess the efficiency of the campaign activities. A period of 25 days from 11.5. to 7.6.1997 was available for this.
After the arrival of the reporter the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development prepared a new draft budget for the use of the funds made available. At the time the first draft was prepared it had not been assumed that the IRLCO-CSA would bear costs of the control activities. The Malawian side therefore requested that the amount intended for this item be added to the amount allocated for insecticides. However, in view of the fact that the locust situation was not to be classified directly as dangerous, this request was not granted. After a reconnaissance trip the reporter ascertained that cultivated areas were not directly threatened. However, gregarious populations of the red locust were found in the Malawian outbreak area of Lake Chilwa, which represented a threat for the harvests of the next rainy season and had to be controlled.
Up to the time of arrival of the reporter no insecticide was purchased with GTZ funds. Since the reporter did not observe any major locust population during a first reconnaissance trip, the project initially refrained from purchasing any insecticides at all. The funds were made available to the Malawian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development for monitoring measures. During the Emergency Aid measure, which comprised survey and control, these funds served to finance per diem allowances, hotel accommodation and fuel.