Niger: coping with water scarcity. Images by Giulio Napolitano/FAO

Drought, locusts and a string of poor crop harvests have made things especially difficult for the people of Niger in recent years. But chronic food and water shortages have challenged this country of 13 million for decades. Most people here depend on agriculture to make a living in one of the driest regions of the world. With population growth in Niger running at twice the average rate worldwide, water access is key to assuring long-term improvements in the future. This is one reason why the FAO newsroom is profiling projects in Niger which focus on improving water delivery and crop production. In Niger, life expectancy is less than 45 years, infant mortality and child malnourishment are high, and classroom education is lagging behind international standards. The UN ranks Niger at the bottom of its worldwide list for human development, but there have been improvements in the past decade. An EU-funded FAO project in Niger focuses on restoring crops and livestock and bringing more water to farms by digging wells nearby and using water- and energy-efficient means to water plants (e.g. using hand-held containers to pour water directly on plants only where needed). The UN advocates programmes which get farmers and their communities directly involved in conserving and managing land and water resources.

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Keywords niger water gardening gardens wells dryness climate_change irrigation