Periodic Famine

Famine may be seen as "the regional failure offood production or distribution systems, leading tosharply increased mortality due to starvation andassociated disease.

Geography of Niger

Niger may be divided into three zones, thenorthern, central, and southern. The northernzone, covering.

More than half of the total area of the republic,lies within the Sahara.

The central zone, known as the Sahel, is semiaridand lightly wooded.

The southern zone is a fertile, forested area thatbenefits from adequate rainfall and, in thesouthwest, from the periodic overflow of the NigerRiver, virtually the only river in the country.

Types of Vegetation in Niger

In the north is found the Sahara desert

As you move south you reach scrub savanna

Types of Vegetation in Niger

In the south of Niger is found wooded savanna

The river Niger flows through the east

Types of Vegetation in Niger

Useful Information on Niger Farming

In a country of nearly 13.5 million people, only about 70,000 Nigeriens have jobs that pay wages or salaries.

About 90% of Nigeriens are subsistence farmers. They live on the crops and livestock they raise.

They sell or barter goods for items they can't produce. The

primary crops are millet, sorghum and cassava.

Livestock sold for millet or sorghum.

15% of Niger land is cultivated.

Useful Information on Niger Farming

Livestock raising is the principal agricultural activity. In

2002 the livestock population included 6.9 million goats,

4.5 million sheep, and 2.3 million cattle.

Cowpeas and cotton are cultivated for export.

Millet and sorghum, cassava, pulses, and rice are grown

for local consumption.

Fishing is conducted in Lake Chad and the Niger River,

and the catch is consumed locally.

Distribution of Farming in Niger

This system is located in the arid and semiarid zones

Includes cattle, as well as sheep, goats and camels.

During the driest period of the year, Sahelian pastoralists move south and they return north during the rainy season.

The main source of vulnerability is the great climatic variability and consequently high incidence of drought.

Socio-economic differentiation is considerable - many herders have lost most of their animals due to droughts or stock theft.

Types of Farming in Niger

(Nomadic Herding)

Nomadic Herding Nomadic Herding

Types of Farming in Niger

(Nomadic Herding)

Crops and livestock are of similar importance.

Rainfed sorghum and pearl millet are the main sources of food and are rarely marketed, whereas sesame and pulses are sometimes sold.

Land preparation is by oxen or camel, while hoe cultivation is common along riverbanks.

Livestock are kept for subsistence (milk & milk products), offspring, transportation (camels, donkeys), land preparation (oxen, camels), sale or exchange, savings, bridewealth and insurance against crop failure.

The population generally lives permanently in villages.

Types of farming in Niger

(Agro – Pastoral)

Agro - Pastoral Agro - Pastoral

Types of farming in Niger

(Agro – Pastoral)

Location of the Famine

Affects of the Famine

June 2005 2.4 million experience severe food shortages

June 2005 150,000 children under age of five are

severely malnourished in 4000 villages

14% of the population of southern Niger departments of

Zinder and Maradi are suffering from acute

malnourishment

Livestock are dying due to lack of fodder and water

August to October 2004 hardly any rain – 11% below average and a plague of locusts

October crops normally harvested but yields are below average

November Food prices increase

January 2005 people running out of food Maradi and Zinder

February UN starts food aid 400,000 people

July people migrating to Nigeria to flee hunger

July UN has received 10 million US$ and WFP are helping 1.2 million people

Causes of the Famine

Less rainfall & plague of locusts

High food prices in markets

Poverty 60% of people live on less than 1 US$ a day

Families are indebted

Government food reserves have been allowed to run down

Dept written of but cannot subsidies food as a consequence

lack of government intervention

Rainfall Patterns

Locusts

July 2005

Nearly half of the Niger government's budget comes from

aid – assistance from other countries

In December 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief

under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme

for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC).

Niger's debt payments as a percentage of government

spending were slashed from nearly 44 per cent in 1999 to

10.9 per cent in 2003.

The rest of Nigers debt is cleared by the scheme.

Short Term Responses

Food Aid

Food Aid: Much has arrived but little has been distributed

Long Term Response

Irrigation

Dams

Wells

Green Revolution

Fertilizers

Crops

Solutions to Famine

Improvement of soil fertility (15,497 metric tons of mineralfertilizer applied, feasibility.

Development of irrigation (9,483 hectares placed underirrigation, 4,507 motor pumps and 244 manual pumpsinstalled, 955 agricultural boreholes drilled, 490 shallowwells built, 138 km of Californian systems and 10.4 km ofchannel profiled in the agricultural irrigation infrastructureinstalled.

Crop protection and locust control (16,478 liters and109,192 kg of insecticide power and 500 liters of birdcontrol chemicals).

Afforestation

In Ague, Niger, where replanting trees helped alleviate the

effects of a famine in 2005, boys operate a foot pump to draw

water for irrigation.

President Address Video

President Video: President Address

BBC News Articles

BBC News Link: There are five a six articles on the

famine BBC Articles

Video Links

Video Link BBC News Player

Video 1: UN warns.......

Video 2: How the world failed......

Video 3:Scenes from one area..........