Humanitarian crisis threatening Niger

Dubai: An official of a specialised agency of the United Nations has made an appeal for more aid for the West African state of Niger.

"The current situation of food security particularly in terms of the information available suggests an immediate crisis in Niger and part of the neighbouring countries," Mohammad Béavogui, director of Western and Central Africa Division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad), said.

Lack of rain have resulted in a food crisis affecting over half of theNiger's population.

One in five children are already facing acute malnutrition in worst-hit regions.

Infant mortality rates are at 17 per cent in Niger which is higher than in 2005 when it was 12 per cent.

"In a country of limited arable land, due to the erratic rainfall in the region, rain seldom comes on time and when it does it can come too much and destroy the agricultural crops," said Béavogui.

Last year's drought in the Sahel belt — which stretches across the south of the Sahara from Mauritania to Sudan — triggered a food crisis almost as bad as 2005 when Unicef (UN International Children's Emergency Fund) estimated that hunger and malnutrition were threatening the lives of 3.6 million people in Niger alone.

The main affected area is Maradi which is the most densely populated area in Niger where the birth rate is one of the highest in the world. Because of the high density, land availability is critical and the family.

"To have good production you need good land, water, fields that are high yielding and the technology. Part of the technology is the technique you use to plant them, what type of fertilizer is used and when. What we need is irrigation but also technology," said Béavogui.

Structural change

According to Béavogui what is need along with aid is a structural change to avoid cyclical repetition by investing in small scale irrigation for farmers.

"NGO's alone cannot solve world problems. The problem of famine in Niger is also a structural one. We need to have government cooperation and mentality to implement structures and policies. Governments should play a role and the public sector should also be allowed to get involved," said Beavogui.

So far aid is pouring in but more is needed.

"The world has mobilised to support the government in order to face this challenge.