* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
By Susan Beccio
Scant and irregular rainfall, high food prices, and conflict have left the people of the Sahel region in West Africa in an escalating food crisis. This is the third time since 2005 that the children, women and men of the Sahel have faced serious hunger.
As governments and donors deliver emergency relief to those who need it, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) continues to work with governments and partners to encourage people to transform their farming practices to build long-term resilience.
“At IFAD, we focus on helping farmers and herders build their resilience to the inevitable occurrences of drought - but we cannot do it alone,” said Kevin Cleaver, associate vice president of programmes. “More investment in agricultural research and extension, both long neglected by government and donors, is essential to develop and diffuse drought and disease-resistant food and fodder crops.
“In addition, preserving natural resources - the principal capital asset of smallholder farmers and herders - requires greater government and donor support for integrated soil fertility management, erosion control, agro-forestry and reforestation.”
The Sahel region – including Niger – currently faces a food crisis because of higher prices and poor harvests. Experimental crops help to determine which new varieties of millet and groundnut are best suited to the short rainy season in El Gueza, Niger. IFAD/David Rose
A newly planted field in Niger. About 82 percent of Niger’s population is rural and most is concentrated in the southern fringe of the country. An IFAD-supported project aims to reduce or reverse land degradation by promoting sustainable land management. IFAD/David Rose
Farmers sow millet near Aguie, Niger. Farmers are nurturing native trees and plants, and today parts of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are greener than they were 30 years ago. This is particularly important during times of drought, as evidence shows that villages that have implemented re-greening activities have higher incomes and lower rates of infant mortality. IFAD/David Rose
Villagers work at a community grain bank in the village of El Gueza, Niger. Efforts should be focused on building rural communities’ resilience, IFAD officials say, and feeder roads and food storage systems must be invested in so that food can be stored safely and reach those who need it. IFAD/David Rose
Farmers pump water from a borehole using a foot-operated vacuum pump in the Village of Launi, Aguie, Niger. Being able to tap into existing water sources and using small-scale irrigation is essential to growing crops in a country covered two-thirds by desert. IFAD/David Rose
Pepper crops were developed to adapt to a hot climate, sandy soil and little water in the Village of Launi, Aguie, Niger. The new government elected in 2011 placed domestic food and nutritional security among its top three priorities and launched its initiative les Nigériens Nourrissent les Nigériens (Nigeriens feeding Nigeriens). IFAD/David Rose
A woman with her child in Aguie, Niger. Niger has one of the highest rates of population growth in the world, which poses a considerable challenge for the country’s development. It is estimated that by 2040 the population will double. IFAD/David Rose
IFAD works to enable poor rural people to overcome poverty.
