Overview

For thousands of years, humans have found themselves vulnerable to plagues of desert locusts. Some fifty countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia have been ravaged, at one time or another, by huge, devouring swarms of locusts. With the consequent, often total, destruction of crops and grazing, widespread hunger and starvation ensued. Colin Everard’s book takes as its geographical focus the Horn of Africa, an area which throughout history has suffered catastrophically from locust plagues. Based on his own extensive experience in the region, Everard describes one of the greatest (albeit unsung) triumphs of the twentieth century, namely, how the desert locust scourge has, at last, been virtually brought under control.

Full Product Details

9781788314350

Table of Contents

Reviews

Everard's book is both a memoir of an exciting and sometimes hazardous career - every chapter has a close brush with death - and also an account of the development of the technology. * Times Literary Supplement * In this lovely little book - part science, part autobiography - Colin Everard tells tales of his time in the Horn of Africa 60 or so years ago ... [and] offers a keen analysis of the scientific developments that have helped the cause - from pesticides that don't do too much environmental harm, to satellite observation ... [His] appreciation of the region's natural beauty is infectious. * Geographical Magazine * One of the great unsung achievements of the 20th century and Everard pays it a fitting tribute. * Daily Mail * Everard's passages on locusts are interesting, as are those on the technological developments. * The Spectator * An enthralling account for anyone who remembers how tough and yet supremely fulfilling it could be to brave deserts, mountains, the elements and hostility in order to further a crucial cause. If your patch included any of Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti or Kenya it is nigh on compulsory reading. * Bill Jackson, Bodleian Library, Oxford University *

A memoir of an exciting and sometimes hazardous career ... Everard comes across as a courageous and devoted colonial civil servant, working in conditions that even the hardiest of today's aid workers would blanch at. * Times Literary Supplement * One of the great unsung achievements of the 20th century and Everard pays it a fitting tribute. * Daily Mail *

`fascinating and entertaining...Colin Everard's enthusiasm and dedication...jump at you from these pages.' - Robert A. Cheke, Professor of Tropical Zoology, Natural Resources Institute, the University of Greenwich (from the Foreword to this book)

Everard's book is both a memoir of an exciting and sometimes hazardous career - every chapter has a close brush with death - and also an account of the development of the technology. * Times Literary Supplement * One of the great unsung achievements of the 20th century and Everard pays it a fitting tribute. * Daily Mail * Everard's passages on locusts are interesting, as are those on the technological developments ... It is interesting to hear about Everard's adventures - particularly in rare moments when they demonstrate how the DLC's operations sometimes clash with tribal customs. * The Spectator * An enthralling account for anyone who remembers how tough and yet supremely fulfilling it could be to brave deserts, mountains, the elements and hostility in order to further a crucial cause. If your patch included any of Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti or Kenya it is nigh on compulsory reading. * Bill Jackson, Bodleian Library, Oxford University *

Author Information

Colin Everard has worked for over forty years with developing countries as a technical cooperation practitioner. His contribution to the development of safe civil aviation has been widely recognised and he is a recipient of the Gold Award of the International Civil Aviation Organization. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management, and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. He lives in Vienna.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available