The Christian aid agency, World Vision, which has been working in Niger since 1995 has said that the current food shortage crisis they are experiencing is the worst since 2005. And what makes this situation even more serious is that this West African country’s annual “hunger season” began earlier than usual this year putting more than of their population at risk.
“There aren’t many places in the world where you have an annual ‘hunger season,’ but Niger is one of them,” said Judy Moore, the emergency response director in Niger for World Vision. “Unfortunately, this year, poor harvests and a lack of rainfall meant the hunger season began earlier than usual.”
World Vision has identified 53 cases of severely acute malnutrition in a three-week period in just one area of Niger (Koma Bangou). In 2009, the same center identified just 22 cases in the entire year.
“This is the worst food shortage we’ve seen in Niger since 2005,” reported Moore. “We’ve even heard reports of parents feeding their children ‘galgu,’ a plant normally used to feed cattle, because they can’t find anything else to eat.”
In collaboration with the World Food Program, World Vision is distributing food in several different regions of Niger and these interventions are expected to increase food availability for more than 500,000 people.
World Vision has also formed a partnership with the Food and Agricultural Organization to distribute seeds for the planting season to 10,000 households throughout Niger.
Last week, the United States’ Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance granted World Vision a sum of $1 million to implement an emergency nutrition intervention in Niger.
Around 28,000 malnourished children will be assisted over the course of one year. At this stage, 58 percent of Niger’s population is severely food insecure, and 1.5 million children under 5 are suffering from malnutrition.
Studies have found that Niger’s ongoing food insecurity is due to last year’s poor harvest and also because most of the population lacks sufficient income to buy food for their families. The cereal harvest has fallen by 30 percent and pasture, critical to livestock herders, has fallen by 60 percent.
The national survey conducted by Niger’s government last December reported that some 7.8 million people, or nearly 60 percent of Niger's population, are running out of food. And according to a recently leaked government report, nearly three million people are expected to face "extreme" food shortfalls this year.
(Photo: World Vision / Ann Birch)