The Food Crisis in Niger: 2005 and Today

by Kate Darlington · 2010-06-23 07:28:00 UTC
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Crop failure and increasing food prices are spelling crisis in Niger — putting over 7 million people at risk of famine.

Wait. Are we experiencing déjà vu here?

In 2005, headlines about Niger read virtually the same thing. Five years ago, drought-induced food shortages, chronic poverty, a plague of locusts and rising prices on staples also caused a near-famine in land-locked West African country.

Five years on, what we're seeing is more of the same. Except that this time, the situation looks even more threatening. "The magnitude of this crisis has not been seen before," says the UN's Niger country director.

The good news is that Niger appears better-prepared to face this crisis than the one in 2005. To begin with, the country is no longer being ruled by a power-hungry dictator who refuses to acknowledge the crisis. In fact, the military junta now in control is calling the crisis a 'famine,' though that's a sensitive term most aid agencies have been hesitant to whip out just yet.

Aid agencies may also be more prepared, thanks to early warning systems that have been monitoring the food situation in the Sahel. Now, it's up to some of the biggest names in humanitarian aid to put the information to use. Save the Children and Oxfam are issuing urgent appeals for funding to avert a second disaster — requesting $10 million for food aid and other relief efforts. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization is also desperately trying to vamp up relief to the region through agricultural assistance and cash-for-work programs.

Unfortunately, it's no secret that living in Niger means living on the brink of crisis. In the "world's most under-developed nation," food insecurity is a constant theme. As a country perched on the edge of the Sahara, drought is a recurrent event. And with climate change increasing the likelihood of prolonged drought in the Sahel, development workers and government officials need to focus on how to better manage the country's environmental cycles. Failure to do so means facing repeated crises like this one.

Early warning systems and international relief agencies can go a long way to help prevent the worst toll from disaster. But ultimately, they're only responding to the short-term crisis at hand.

Photo Credit: Acererak

Kate Darlington graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a degree in International Political Economy. Recently, she worked for the Indigenous Fisher Peoples Network in Kenya.
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