The harvesting of the grasshoppers in Mexico for human consumption can be a way for managing pest outbreaks.

Dr. Cattadori said the work, published in Nature, carries a bigger potential message, about climate change and events like emerging diseases and pest outbreaks.

Increasingly, there is evidence that farmers' pesticide applications are often unnecessary, and even facilitate pest outbreaks.

Often slow speed of action (thus making them unsuitable if a pest outbreak is an immediate threat to a crop)

Keep a close on fruit and veg plants: look out for pest outbreaks and watch bean and pea pods swell, then start picking!

These programs include the use of cultural practices and biological control as well as various techniques to forecast pest outbreaks.

"The incidence of floods, droughts, fires and pest outbreaks is expected to increase in some regions," the draft report says.

A drought, an especially cold winter and a pest outbreak all constitute short-term variability in environmental conditions.

At the same time, the new work has signaled the importance of maintaining heterogeneity in crops as a means of preventing pest outbreaks.

Among its functions are the maintenance of lists of plant pests, tracking of pest outbreaks, and coordination of technical assistance between member nations.