A previous post on this blog discussed a UN appeal for funds to combat the food crisis that continues to cripple Niger. Now the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN’s food agency, says it plans to step up aid to herders and shepherds in Niger and its eastern neighbor, Chad, after both countries saw its respective livestock pastures dry out (following sporadic rainfall) and agricultural production plunge.
The FAO said that poor farmers are now often forced to sell their livestock on discount in order to afford food for their families since seeds are hard to come by and nurture.
As a part of its efforts on behalf of these farmers, the FAO said it would finance the purchase and distribution of livestock feed, fertilisers and crop seed worth $12.7 million in Niger and $4.5 million in Chad. The organization also plans to fund a $4.1 million program to improve Niger’s agricultural infrastructure through the reproduction of quality seeds, strengthening farmers’ organizations and easing credit by allowing farmers to borrow against their crops.
The organization is working against the clock for getting feed and seeds to these farms, though – the planting season begins in June.
Posted by Sara Chupein.
