From the ArcaMax Publishing, News & Features Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/newsheadlines/s-348780-896081
NAIROBI, Kenya (UPI) -- An infestation of armyworms has destroyed a
significant portion of food crops in Kenya's Eastern Province, Red
Cross officials say.
The Kenya Red Cross Society said 70 percent of the crops in the
province's Upper Eastern region and Tharaka Division have been
destroyed by the worms, that have been designated a threat to food
security, The Nation said Friday.
The worms, which infested pastures in the area as well, have also been
found in various other districts throughout the province.
While the worms appear to have inflicted significant losses to Kenya's
food supply, Eastern provincial crops officer Hesbon Olweny downplayed
their impact this week.
"The situation is under control and we don't expect any major losses,"
Olweny said.
The crops official told The Nation that farmers throughout the area
have been given specific insecticides that should control the spread
of the worms.