Supercomputer helps in tracking East Africa locust outbreak

A farmer's daughter waves her shawl in the air to try to chase away swarms of desert locusts from her crops, in Katitika village, Kitui county, Kenya. A supercomputer is boosting efforts in East Africa to control a locust outbreak that raises what the UN food agency calls 'an unprecedented threat' to the region's food security. — AP

KAMPALA, Uganda: A supercomputer is boosting efforts in East Africa to control a locust outbreak that raises what the UN food agency calls "an unprecedented threat" to the region's food security.

The computer, a donation from Britain, uses satellite data to track locust swarms and predict their next destination. Quickly sharing the information of the locusts' movements with regional authorities is key to controlling the outbreak, as even a small swarm of locusts in a single day can move nearly 100 miles and consume the amount of crops that would otherwise feed 35,000 people.