Den gode nyhed er, at Niger har haft en god høst i år. Den dårlige er, at befolkningen stadig står overfor en ny fødevarekrise med akut fejlernæring som følgesvend.
Det er konklusionen på en analyse af fødevaresituationen i det fattige vestafrikanske Sahel-land, som FNs Fødevareprogram (WFP) og FNs Fødevare- og Landbrugsorganisation (FAO) publicerer torsdag.
De to FN organisationer opfordrer det international samfund til at fortsætte støtten til Niger, så den positive udvikling i fødevareproduk-tionen ikke bliver udhulet.
Høsten steg med 60%
The Government of Niger, supported by the UN, launched a massive humanitarian intervention last year which averted the worst effects of a food and nutrition crisis that put more than seven million people in jeopardy and threatened the livelihoods of the country’s farmers and pastoralists.
As part of the humanitarian response to the drought, WFP delivered emergency food assistance to more than 5 million people, including vulnerable groups such as children under five, and pregnant or lactating women.
FAO provided 13 000 tonnes of animal feed and distributed over 3 400 tonnes of quality seeds, covering 94 percent of affected villages.
As a result of these interventions as well as a good rainy season in 2010, domestic cereal production increased by 60 percent and livestock that survived the drought were restored to health as pastures returned.
Mere end 15 % fejlernæring
However, the acute malnutrition rate was still above 15 percent in most parts of the country in October and November, reaching 17 percent in the area around Agadez and Zinder.
Lack of access to health care facilities and extreme poverty pose further threats to populations on the frontline of the dire food security situation. Many families have been left in debt following the 2009/2010 food crisis.
“Food and non-food assistance is still necessary to reconstitute the resilience capacity of the affected populations to allow them to have independent access to food,” said the report.
FAO/WFP called for an improvement in family purchasing power in Niger by assisting pastoralists to replenish their livestock and boosting off-season agriculture such as vegetable and roots and tubers production.
Brug for akut hjælp
The report also found a need to restore cereal banks, reconstitute the national grain stock and to support marketing chains. It also called for the continuing support of feeding centres for malnourished people.
It called for aid interventions to start immediately so that farmers will be provided with the necessary quality seeds and fertilizers before the next planting season that starts in May. Assistance is also required in the sphere of animal health and vaccines, the report said.
