Chinese technology helping Pakistan to cope with Locusts threat

China’s supported Desert Locust Monitoring Archive protects Pakistani agriculture, says a report published by Gwadar Pro on Monday.

In order to protect Pakistani agriculture from desert locust, as of January 2021, 15 desert locust disaster monitoring reports have been issued. The report says, all of them were uploaded to Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) this week.

In order to provide real-time information on the locust situation, the data in the system is continuously updated. Meanwhile, analytical reports are also being produced and released regularly. The monitoring archive, integrated with multi-source Earth Observation data, self- developed models and algorithms, is launched by RSCROP, supported by Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth of Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS).

Publishing the reports on GBIF means that valuable data is accessible to each Pakistani for free. The archive focuses on the situation of desert locusts in Pakistan, meanwhile also mentions cases in other countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen and so on. The RSCROP said that the archive will provide technical support for multinational joint prevention and control of locust. “Through protecting ecosystem security and biodiversity, we’d love to contribute China’s scientific and technological strength to Pakistani food security and human well-being.

The online archive, believed as an effective means for dealing with locust disasters, will protect Pakistan’s agricultural development. The RSCROP confirmed that they will continue to follow the progress, constantly work on Pakistani desert locust prevention, and release related service data and scientific reports. The system has been used by government organs, international organizations, research institutes, universities and enterprises in China, Britain and Italy, the report added.