Kenyan farmers hit hard by locust invasion
Kenyan farmer Mwende Kimanzi lost her crops to a swarm of desert locusts.
They landed in her fields two weeks ago.
And since then, they have been eating their way through her sorghum, millet and lentils, while she tries to chase them away.
For the mother of three, it's much more than an inconvenience.
Usually, she sells the lentils and keeps the rest to feed her family.
But the locust invasion means they could soon go hungry.
(SOUNDBITE) (Swahili) LOCAL FARMER, MWENDE KIMANZI, SAYING:
"The locusts appeared and we called the authorities immediately. The aeroplanes started the spraying from that edge of the river. Some died, but the rest of the swarm moved to our farms. They destroyed everything here, they have now moved to our homes. They are now laying eggs there."
Since the locusts arrived, Mwende has only managed to harvest half a bag of millet - and a bag of lentils.
The rest of her produce was lost.
(SOUNDBITE) (Swahili) LOCAL FARMER, MWENDE KIMANZI, SAYING:
"There is nothing left. We will still face hunger."
The swarms were first sighted in December.
Since then, tens of thousands of acres of farmland in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia have been destroyed - threatening food supplies in what is the worst locust invasion in 70 years.
