Niger: a government plan to combat the food crisis

Niger may well be used to the food crisis,  but it  has rarely faced such a combination of hard knocks. After the Libyan crisis, which forced its expatriates to return home and their remittances dried up, the Tuareg rebellion in neighboring Mali has driven tens of thousands of refugees into its territory, writes Jeune Afrique (JA).

Moreover, imports from Nigeria (the main supplier) are hampered by higher transportation costs and the closure of some parts of the border after the attacks of Islamist Boko Haram. There is this terrible drought that caused a cereal deficit of nearly 700 000 tonnes, one fifth of national needs. All the elements came together to bring back the specter of famine in 2005. Yet for now, the same scenes have not been reproduced.


Certainly, there is still a long lean period to pass  through before the next harvest, but observers are not panicking. "We're pretty quiet, because this year, the alert was given in advance by the government, which has enabled the partners to organize," said Olivier Lefay, in charge of food safety issues for the European Union in  Niamey.

As early as August, the president, Mahamadou Issoufou, has sounded the alarm. The harvest was not yet complete but low rainfall already augured a serious risk, in a country where over 70 per cent of cultivated areas are dependent on rainfall. A radically different approach from that of former President Tandja, whose refusal to recognize emergency situations on several occasions prevented the deployment of international aid upstream. "We have a totally different approach, says an adviser to Issoufou. We consider NGOs as partners and we do not hesitate to lobby donors. "

It is too early to say that the government has handled this crisis in the best way. But it is already looking ahead. For over fifty years of independence, Niger found itself in deficit production every other year. To break this cycle, Niamey Launched the  3N programme ("Nigerians Nourish Nigerians"), one of its principal axes is reducing dependence on climatic conditions. This project, valued at 1,000 billion CFA francs (1.5 billion euros) over five years therefore focuses on irrigation, rain water collection and use of inputs.

For example, in the region of Dallols, there is ground water  which is only 3-7 m deep. By funding the drilling and pumps, we can irrigate, "says Amadou Diallo Allahoury, High Commissioner to the 3N initiative . The completion of the dam should  allow Kandadji to irrigate tens of thousands of hectares. Meanwhile, 100 billion CFA francs have been allocated for emergency programs. "It's just the dress rehearsal for the launch of the initiative 3N," said Amadou Diallo Allahoury.  Will  this be a conclusive answer?  The response will come with the next harvest, JA's article concludes.

Amadou Diallo Allahoury said in October 2011, following the election of President Mahamadou Issoufou that"The 3N initiative  is nothing more than a plan to accelerate investment in agriculture, everyone  will be mobilized to create the foundations for alleviating forever situations of food crisis."  Niger has continued to suffer food shortages almost every two years since independence yet it has many rivers and irrigable land which can be utilisted to support agriculture.The 3N plan was a key part of the president's election manifesto.