‘Food is proof of a better life’
How a food systems approach is helping WFP respond to hunger and malnutrition prompted by climate, conflict and COVID-19 in Niger
By Mariama Ali Souley and Reylaura Cantave
Some 70km north of Niger’s capital city Niamey lies the small village of Simiri in the Ouallam Department of the Tillabéri Region. Erratic weather patterns are disrupting planting seasons and reducing crop yields for communities that are dependent on rain-fed agriculture. Crusty, eroded and degraded soil is harder to farm.
“The soil does not have enough water and that is not good for growing food,” says Salamatou Boubacar, a mother of 7 children.“Nowadays, the scarcity of rainfall means that we are food insecure.”
Even with the hard work people put in to grow the local staples such as millet and sorghum, they struggle to meet their food and nutrition needs. “The men invest a great deal of effort in the fields to harvest 6, 7 or 8 sheafs of millet” says Gambi Moussa, a mother of 5 children.
Climate and conflict cocktail
Niger is part of West Africa’s Central Sahel (that also includes Burkina Faso and Mali) — a sub-region grappling with escalating conflict and climate shocks. Violence and insecurity have displaced or driven many families from farming lands in the Central Sahel. Markets are disrupted and high food prices that are continuously pushing families with low purchasing power further behind.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local economy is an additional toll. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger were already experiencing price hikes and high food insecurity levels in 2020, then COVID-19 sent shockwaves on food prices, largely stemming from the restrictions imposed in the region on movement of people and goods and border closures. An estimated 6.5 million people in the Central Sahel are food insecure in the annual lean season, which runs until August 2021.
Prior to the global pandemic, when families faced challenges with their harvest, able men and women living in Simiri could leave their village to work in the Capital city Niamey, other parts of the country or migrate to neighboring countries to bring an extra income home. The extra work permitted them to purchase food and other sustaining products for their daily lives. COVID-19 has put a stop to that.
Proof of a better life
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and partners including the European Union (EU) are working on a multi-pronged food systems approach to respond to short-term emergency needs — with regards to food and nutrition — and at the same time boost the resilience of communities.
A contribution of €20 million by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa is helping WFP provide immediate assistance to reduce food insecurity and malnutrition while supporting the entire value chain for nutritious foods to improve the nutritional quality of food available on the market in the three Central Sahel countries.
Salamatou and Gambi are among the people who will be benefiting from the project in Simiri. They will receive cash transfers to enable access to local markets where families can purchase nutritious foods that would otherwise be difficult or unaffordable to them.
“I believe that this project will greatly help to feed and nourish us,” says Gambi who is one of those supported by the intervention. “I danced with joy when I heard that this support is coming. When there is food, it is proof of a better life.”
Investing in cash transfers
In Simiri and across the Central Sahel, families lack the financial means to be able to afford nutritious foods due to economic hardships and in some cases conflict. Families cannot afford to eat the right food, in the right quantity, with the right quality. The ‘Fill-the-Nutrient Gap Analysis’ estimates that on average three out of five households in the Central Sahel cannot afford of a nutritious meal.
To prevent malnutrition, access to nutritious foods and protection against price fluctuations is provided through a food voucher for locally available nutritious foods. In addition, nutritionally vulnerable women and children are supported with programmes to prevent acute malnutrition.
By investing in the provision of cash transfers or value vouchers, the income of families will be increased and it will help stimulate the economy through local markets.
“We are hopeful that the support will positively change our lives,” says Salamatou.
