16th March 2010
The Irish Red Cross is increasingly concerned at the deteriorating food security situation in Niger. Irregular rains starting late and stopping early in Niger has led to a 31% slump in crop production compared to last year - 410,000 tons less - according to the government’s latest estimates.
Various reports estimate that poor rains have forced some two million people to finish off their food reserves seven months before the next harvest in September 2010 with another five million soon to follow. Failure to respond by the international community will lead to a huge humanitarian crisis.
The Irish Red Cross has been directly operational in Niger since late 2005, first in Agadez in the north of the country and for the last two and a half years in the Zinder region, working mainly in isolated and marginalized villages and communities in and around the Tanout area. The focus of the programme is primarily livelihoods and capacity building (of the Niger Red Cross at various levels as well as grassroots communities). Noel Wardick, Head of International Department, has recently returned from a comprehensive eight day visit to the country. "The peak of the yearly food shortage, known as the hunger season, does not normally occur until June, lasting through until the next harvest in September, however, the hunger season started at the end of February this year and our programme staff are seeing households in an extremely vulnerable situation" said Mr. Wardick.
The annual harvest statistics of Niger had already showed that many areas of the country would experience a large deficit in the production of food in late 2009. Noel Wardick explained: "according to a rapid assessment conducted by the government of Niger in mid December 2009 the areas of Diffa, Zinder and Tahoua, will see more than half of the rural population finish their stocks of food by the end of January, 2010 with nine months to wait for the next harvest. My recent visit to Niger bears these figures out. I have been visiting Niger regularly since 2005 and the conditions currently prevailing are the most severe I have seen in all that time. A large scale coordinated humanitarian response is required immediately".
On February 23rd, the International Federation of the Red Cross launched a Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of €156,000 to assist 300,000 people in 120 villages in Diffa, Zinder and Tahoua out of the 7.7 million people affected by food insecurity. On the 18th March 2010 the International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent (IFRC) launched an emergency appeal for Niger. This appeal seeks €677,278 in order to support a Red Cross response in the worst affected areas of the country. This operation is expected to be implemented over the coming nine months. The Appeal aims to mitigate the impact of the severe food shortage due to last year’s limited harvest. The Red Cross response will focus on food security and nutrition for approximately 300,000 people with various activities including cash for work, water harvesting, environmental protection actions, seeds and food distribution and support to nutrition centres.
The Irish Red Cross team on the ground in Niger is working with its international Red Cross colleagues and partners as well as with the Niger Red Cross in scaling up its humanitarian activities in response to the crisis. "Niger has been a priority country for the Irish Red Cross for five years now. We have every intention of highlighting the urgent and immediate needs on the ground and towards that end we will be working closely with our donors and the international community to ensure a timely and properly funded response" concluded Mr. Wardick.
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Related News
Update on Food Security Crisis in Niger - 10th June 2010