IFDC part of effort to relieve famine in Niger

By Dennis Sherer
Staff Writer; Times Daily

Doctors without Borders, UNICEF, other world organizations and numerous government agencies are rushing aid to Nigeriens left without food when drought and insects wiped out their crops.

UNICEF reports about 3.6 million people, including 800,000 children 5 and younger, have been affected by the food shortages in Niger. Doctors without Borders reports treating more than 12,000 Nigerien children suffering from malnutrition.

"The rains came late, and then locust infestation attacked the crops. As a result, many people are starving in Niger," said Amit Roy, president and chief executive officer of the IFDC, an International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development. Muscle Shoals-based IFDC is among the world organizations searching for ways to prevent future famines in Niger.

Roy, who visited Niger earlier this year, said the hunger there is widespread.

He said emergency food and medical supply deliveries are a must to help Nigeriens cope with immediate problems. In the long term, finding ways to help farmers increase yields from their fields is key to preventing future food shortages.

"We have to bring agriculture to the point where farmers will be able to produce a much higher yield and better manage their soil and water," Roy said.

Much of the soil in Niger is very poor, Roy said. The low fertility of the soil prevents it from retaining moisture.

By improving soil fertility, farmers could boost their yields and store excess grain in good years for use when drought cuts crop production, Roy said. In addition, crops grown in fertile soil are more resilient to attacks by locusts and other insects.

Roy said IFDC has worked with Nigerien farmers since the late 1980s trying to help them improve their yields. Poverty has hindered the organization's efforts.

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, and farmers have been slow to begin using modern fertilizers because they cannot afford them, Roy said.

He is hopeful the recent attention on food shortages there will increase money available for helping the farmers.

Roy said the aid to Nigerien farmers will be far more than just giving them a few bags of fertilizer and wishing them luck with their crops.

IFDC works with governments and private businesses in the countries it assists to develop markets where farmers can buy farm supplies. The Shoals organization develops fertilizer for the region where it will be used and then teaches farmers how to use it on their fields. It also helps farmers find markets for their excess grain.

Roy said IFDC will host a summit in 2006 in Africa to gather world leaders and discuss ways of preventing future food shortages in Niger and other African nations.

He said increasing the productivity of farms is key to preventing hunger, and IFDC will play a lead role in solving Africa's food shortage woes.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@timesdaily.com.