Agriculture in Niger: Difference between revisions

'''[[Agriculture]]''' is the primary economic activity of a majority of '''[[Niger]]''''s 1317 million citizens.

[[ImageFile:Niger sorghum map and season .png|thumb|right|140px|Map and growing season for the Nigerien [[Sorghum]] crop. Chart shows [[Normalized Difference Vegetation Index]] against Long Rains Dry Season (July&nbsp;– FebruaryJuly–February), measuring normal years crop growth in the major Sorghum producing areas of Niger.<ref name="pecad.fas.usda.gov">[http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/cropexplorer/chartview.cfm?ftypeid=4&fattributeid=1&stypeid=4&sattributeid=15&cntryid=NG&startdate=2008%2D07%2D01%2000%3A00%3A00%2E0&d=37361&regionid=wafrica www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/cropexplorer/]{{dead link|date=January 2016}}</ref>]]

[[ImageFile:Niger rice map and season.png|thumb|right|140px|Map and growing season for the Nigerien [[Rice]] crop. Chart shows [[Normalized Difference Vegetation Index]] against Long Rains Dry Season (July - FebJuly–Feb), measuring normal years crop growth in the major Rice producing areas of Niger.<ref name="pecad.fas.usda.gov"/>]]

The agricultural economy is based largely upon internal markets, subsistence agriculture, and the export of raw commodities: food stuffs and cattle to neighbors. [[Niger]], a landlocked [[Sub-Sahara]] African nation, and over the past two decades has consistently been ranked near or at the bottom of worldwide indexes of the [[Human development index]], [[GDP]], and per capita income. Economic activity centres on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, re-export trade, and export of [[uranium]]. The 50% devaluationidevaluation loveof 1d.the West African CFA franc in January 1994 boosted exports of [[livestock]], [[cowpea]]s, [[onion]]s, and the products of Niger's small [[cotton]] industry. Exports of cattle to neighboring [[Nigeria]], as well as [[Macrotyloma geocarpum|Groundnutsgroundnuts]] and their oil remain the primary non-mineral exports.<ref name=ussd2009>[httphttps://www2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5474.htm Background Notes for Niger: January 2009] Bureau of African Affairs, United States State Department. Retrieved 2009-02-26. Portions of the "Economy" section are here used verbatim, as this document is in the [[Publicpublic Domaindomain]].</ref>

[[File:Niger ag land use map USGS.png|thumb|500px|center|Cropland Use Indicator, drawn from Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data, for period 1986-19881986–1988. <br />Scale is: 1= 70% - 100% Crop coverage :: 2= 50% - 70% Crop coverage :: 3= 30% - 50% Crop coverage :: 4= 5% - 30% Crop coverage :: 5= 0% - 5% Crop coverage.]]

[[Image:Niger millet Koremairwa 1214.jpg|thumb|right|200px250px|A farmer collecting his [[millet]] harvest near [[Koremairwa]] in the [[Dosso (department)|Dosso]] department.]]

Niger's agricultural and livestock sectors are the mainstay of all but 18% of the population.<ref name=ussd2009 /> Fourteen percent of Niger's GDP is generated by livestock production (camels, goats, sheep and cattle), said to support 29% of the population. Thus 53% of the population is actively involved in crop production.<ref name=ussd2009 /> The 15% of Niger's land that is arable is found mainly along its southern border with Nigeria.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Niger Economy |url=https://www.historycentral.com/nationbynation/Niger/Economy.html#:~:text=The%2015%25%20of%20Niger%27s%20land,aid%20to%20meet%20food%20requirements. |access-date=2022-05-15 |website=www.historycentral.com}}</ref>

[[File:Niger, nomadsN'Gonga flee(5), droughtsale 16of augmillet 2005on market day.jpg|thumb|right|Nomads250px|Sale leavingof formillet Nigeriaon withthe theirN'Gonga herds, Dakoro Department, Niger, 2005.market]]

Rainfall varies and when insufficient, Niger has difficulty feeding its population and must rely on grain purchases and food aid to meet food requirements.<ref name=ussd2009 /> Rains, as in much of the [[Sahel]], have been marked by annual variability. This has been especially true in the 20th century, with the [[Sahel drought|most severe drought on record]] beginning in the late 1960s and lasting, with one break, well into the 1980s. The long -term effect of this, especially to [[pastoralism|pastoralist]] populations remains in the 21st century, with those communities which rely upon cattle, sheep, and camels husbandry losing entire herds more than once during this period. Recent rains remain variable. For instance, the rains in 2000 were not good, those in 2001 were plentiful and well distributed.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}

Food shortfalls have also been caused by other factors. Market prices driven up by [[drought]] and a [[Overpopulation (animals)#Wild animal overpopulation|plague]] of [[desert locust]] in 2005–2006 caused [[2005–06 Niger food crisis|a major food crisis]] in parts of the nation.{{Cn|date=January 2021}}

Shortage of good farmland has led to a number of innovations to farm marginal, often [[laterite]] soils and soil degraded by [[overfarming]], wind, [[desertification]], and drought. Women in particular are often given poor plots of land (in inherited sections known as "''Gamana''") to garden, and have developed specific crops for poor soil and water conditions. These typically include ocra and malahiya. External organisations have tried introducing alternative crops, such as the fruit of the ''[[Ziziphus mauritaniamauritiana]]'' tree ("''Indian Jujube''", marketed by the [[International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics]] ([[ICRISAT]]) under the name of "''Pomme du Sahel''" or Sahel Apple) and the leaves and seeds of the [[Moringa|Moringa oleifera]]. Farmers use specialty water conservation techniques, "water microcatchments" or planting pits known as ''zai holes'', planting of crops among certain trees, planting in raised beds, [[drip irrigation]], and usage of water collected in the natural stone bottomed low areas common in the south east of the nation. This approach has been termed the [[Bioreclamation of Degraded Lands]]. <ref>[http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/PSLG-7TCJF2?OpenDocument Niger: Reclaiming ‘useless’ lands gives new lifeline to West Africa’s sidelined women farmers]. Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR); [[International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics]] ([[ICRISAT]]). 25 June 2009.</ref>

While Nigerien farmers are often dependent on the agricultural market for portions of their production and consumption, much of Nigerien farming is [[subsistence agriculture]] outside the marketplace.<ref name="Decalo1997" /> The 2006 [[Human Development Index]] ranked Niger sixth from worst in the world, with a HDI of 0.370: [[List of countries by Human Development Index|174 of 179]] nations.<ref>[{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_EN_Complete.pdf |title=&#124; Human Development ReportReports 2007/2008]|website=Hdr.undp.org |date= United|accessdate=2016-01-13 Nations|url-status=dead Development Program|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429033726/http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_EN_Complete.pdf |archive-date=2011-04-29 }}</ref>

{{Reflist|2}}

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081019110424/http://www.ird.ne/ Institut de Recherche pour le Développement au Niger]: French government development office in Niger.

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090212134408/http://www.dfid.gov.uk/countries/africa/Niger.asp United Kingdom Department of International Development:Niger].

*[httphttps://wwwweb.archive.org/web/20090202150745/http://acdi-cida.gc.ca/niger-e Canadian International Development Agency:Niger].

*[https://archive.today/20130113135514/http://go.worldbank.org/T29QRKFVQ0 The World Bank, Niger overview and resources].