Long before the political crisis in the country, food production decreased because of environmental problems
Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.High and dry: Drought is prompting Niger’s Fulani herdsmen to graze cattle on the land of farmers, causing conflict. Photo: Marco Longari/AFPn the border town of Gaya, a 69-year old Nigerien farmer waits for a long-distance truck to take him home.
Long before the political crisis, food production in Niger began falling victim to the increasingly hostile environment, as the Sahara crept south and drought degraded the soil. Many farmers have been forced to leave the country. Salimata, 35, was a farmer in Niger. She was young enough to leave. She is now a domestic worker in Benin.
Between August and September last year at least 50 people died in floods in Niger. The General Directorate of Civil Protection said more than 3 000 cattle were killed and 3.9 tonnes of food were destroyed.“Our cattle keep decreasing, dying one by one of hunger and thirst, due to lack of grazing space and water,” says Abou, a Fulani herder. “My brother and I took our cattle to another region for grazing space but we ended up clashing with the Zarma and he almost lost his life.
But not everybody can pay a passeur to migrate. For the poorest families, the choices left are even more heartbreaking.
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