2007.03.12: March 12, 2007: Headlines: COS - Niger: Agriculture: Flickr: Carroll County Online: Michael R. Bell writes: Most farmers are subsistence farmers trying to produce enough food to feed their families
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2007.03.12: March 12, 2007: Headlines: COS - Niger: Agriculture: Flickr: Carroll County Online: Michael R. Bell writes: Most farmers are subsistence farmers trying to produce enough food to feed their families
Michael R. Bell writes: Most farmers are subsistence farmers trying to produce enough food to feed their families
Most farmers are subsistence farmers trying to produce enough food to feed their families, share with others and possibly use as barter to obtain other needed items for survival. In the bush, which is where most Nigeriens live, daily routines are the same except during planting and harvest times. Families will raise livestock and poultry, vegetables, fruit if possible and all grow millett as their food staple. Feed for livestock is not grown. Land capable of growing a crop is used only to produce commodities to be used directly by humans. So how do they feed their livestock? Each morning a worker (probably one of their children) is assigned the task of taking the animals out further into the bush to forage. Animals that can find feed survive, those that can't don't. Since Niger is mostly desert, finding forage can be difficult. The Fulani are nomadic herders of animals such as cattle, goats, donkeys and camels, and are allowed to use certain areas of the country. After a day of grazing, the worker will lead the livestock back to the village for the night. Nigeriens as a whole are a hardworking, intelligent, caring and happy people. They are generous with what they have no matter the circumstance. Those whom I have encountered during my stay here have all been quick to smile and find pleasure in everything, no matter the conditions. It has not taken long to get used to seeing camels grazing, being ridden or lead down a main street in a large city with typical automobile congestion as I saw just a few minutes ago.
Michael R. Bell writes: Most farmers are subsistence farmers trying to produce enough food to feed their families
Farming in Niger different from Maryland
By, Michael R. Bell, Ag Today
Monday, March 12, 2007
Caption: A herder providing water for his cattle in Niger. Photo: MotleyPrincess Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0
NIAMEY, Niger - This column is an update of sorts of one written for Dec. 25, 2004. In that column, I mentioned that my daughter was about to leave on a 26-month assignment with the Peace Corps in Niger, West Africa. I am very pleased to report that by the time you are reading this we have flown out of Africa, arrived in Paris and are looking for a place to have lunch. We will spend a few days here before flying home.
I have been in Niger for almost two weeks, experienced four very interesting bus rides, toured a small part of the Sahara desert and tried many new foods. One of the most impressive things I have seen over my time here is the complete dedication of these mostly young Peace Corps volunteers. Niger is the poorest country in the world today. When my daughter came here two years ago, it was the second-poorest country. The conditions under which these volunteers work and live is difficult at best. You should be very proud of the work these young adults do as Peace Corps volunteers serving around the world representing the U.S.
So what about agriculture in Niger? Most farmers are subsistence farmers trying to produce enough food to feed their families, share with others and possibly use as barter to obtain other needed items for survival. In the bush, which is where most Nigeriens live, daily routines are the same except during planting and harvest times. Families will raise livestock and poultry, vegetables, fruit if possible and all grow millett as their food staple.
Feed for livestock is not grown. Land capable of growing a crop is used only to produce commodities to be used directly by humans. So how do they feed their livestock? Each morning a worker (probably one of their children) is assigned the task of taking the animals out further into the bush to forage. Animals that can find feed survive, those that can't don't.
Since Niger is mostly desert, finding forage can be difficult. The Fulani are nomadic herders of animals such as cattle, goats, donkeys and camels, and are allowed to use certain areas of the country. After a day of grazing, the worker will lead the livestock back to the village for the night.
Some farmers do not tend to their animals; they simply turn them loose in the morning and the animals return before sunset. Often these animals return by themselves to lightly fenced corrals where they receive no feed or water. The idea that the animals have economic value has no bearing on their care. Animals do receive basic preventive health care, but with this free-range system, driving and riding in vehicles can be very exciting.
Meat to be sold must be inspected by a certified meat inspector. There are several slaughter facilities located throughout the country. For those not using these, they will take the animal carcass to a local veterinarian who is a certified meat inspector for inspection and approval to sell.
Crops are planted during the "Hot Season" - temperatures reach 135 degrees Fahrenheit or higher during the day - by hand into hand cultivated soil. Normally, germination and early growth go well. It is during the "Wet Season" that success or failure occurs. If the rains come, the farmers may have success and food for the year. If not, "Hunger Season" can be fatal.
Just because it rains and the crop does well does not mean success. A few years ago, prior to harvest the crops were doing very well and a large harvest was expected. Then came the locusts. Everyone went from boom to bust very quickly. "Hunger Season" was very difficult. To make matters worse, the next season they experienced a drought, which lead to another complete crop failure. "Hunger Season" became fatal.
Not everyone experiences drought or locust at the same time, so there is food available if you have the cash or something to barter. During the last drought, many Fulani watched as their whole herds starved to death. Carcasses dotted the bush. Some of these proud people had nothing left, as their herd was how they existed, leading some to suicide.
Obviously, life continues as it has for many hundreds or thousands of years here. Some practices used today in Niger's agriculture are the same used hundreds and thousands of years ago.
Some observations: Nigeriens as a whole are a hardworking, intelligent, caring and happy people. They are generous with what they have no matter the circumstance. Those whom I have encountered during my stay here have all been quick to smile and find pleasure in everything, no matter the conditions. It has not taken long to get used to seeing camels grazing, being ridden or lead down a main street in a large city with typical automobile congestion as I saw just a few minutes ago.
I do not have space in this column to go into detail about Niger, agriculture, the traditions and the people, so I hope you enjoyed this brief overview.
Because of modern technology, I have written and submitted today's column from the Cybernet Internet Café in Niamey, Niger. Oh, by the way, the weather here has been - I probably shouldn't after seeing the weather forecast for the East Coast on CNN this morning.
No snakes, no scorpions, no rebellions, no accidents - at least not yet.
Welcome home, Christine.
Michael R. Bell is an extension educator in agricultural science for the Carroll County Cooperative Extension.
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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Niger; Agriculture; Flickr
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