Food security of vulnerable population groups in the Tillabéri region

Context

The food security situation in Niger remains precarious. Agricultural production is frequently hampered either by the absence of rain or by extreme variations in rainfall patterns linked to climatic changes. This leads to supply bottlenecks, food shortages and undernourishment. The situation is made worse by insufficient knowledge about nutritional requirements.

One of the regions affected is Tillabéri. Children and women during pregnancy, childbirth and while breastfeeding are particularly at risk. Early childhood undernourishment leads to irreparable impairment of development and a high level of child mortality.

Most of the population is currently unable to independently meet its food needs throughout the year and to reduce undernourishment among children. Furthermore, the people lack reliable access to advice on healthcare and on crop and livestock farming.

Objective

Food security has improved for households with vulnerable individuals, particularly women of reproductive age and infants up to the age of two.

Approach

The project primarily promotes the health, agriculture and livestock sectors in ten communities and their health centres.

It is developing the capacity of governmental and non-governmental actors in the health sector to prevent and treat both undernourishment and malnutrition. It is also giving women’s self-help groups at village level the skills they need to monitor children’s development, pass on nutritional advice to other women and treat moderate levels of undernourishment where required.

The project promotes appropriate crop and livestock farming methods in order to improve the yield and diversity of locally produced foodstuffs and increase food supplies. At the same time, it supports income-generating measures with a view to increasing people’s income and therefore improving access to food.

It is cooperating with the German aid organisation Welthungerhilfe in order to harness the regional experience of the two organisations more effectively.

Results

To date, the project has helped renovate and equip 14 health centres and has provided training for health care staff and local decision-makers on the prevention of undernourishment and malnutrition.

A total of 37 women’s groups with 1,433 members attend regular training sessions on topics such as how to prevent and treat mild cases of undernourishment. The women act as multipliers, passing on what they have learned to others. As a result, there is a much greater general awareness of nutritional requirements. According to the women themselves, there has been an improvement in their children’s development.

In 2016, 720 households involved in crop and livestock production were given better-quality seeds. The result was a considerable improvement in yields and an increase in food supplies. In 2017, better-quality seeds were made available to a further 650 households, and around 6,000 households were given advice on better crop-growing methods. As a result of the project’s support for vegetable growing in 34 community gardens, the families now benefit from an additional source of income as well as a greater variety of food and a more balanced diet.

Around 750 women from poor households now keep a more productive breed of goat. The milk produced is a valuable supplement to their children’s diet.

The project is assisting 13 women’s groups with 367 members in establishing income-generating activities, thus affording greater protection in the event of a poor harvest. By way of example, eight groups received support in the form of communally operated grain mills. A total of 2,224 women from 24 villages have used the grain-milling service over the eight months since the mills began operating. Some groups have achieved astounding results in just a short time. They have initiated other measures and built up a store of grain to sell at a modest price to poor families during the annual ‘hunger season’, thus reducing the overall burden of hunger.

Wirkungen

Das Vorhaben hat bisher 14 Gesundheitsstationen bei Renovierung und Ausstattung unterstützt und das Gesundheitspersonal sowie lokale Entscheidungsträger zur Prävention von Unter- und Mangelernährung fortgebildet.

37 Frauengruppen mit 1.433 Mitgliedern werden regelmäßig geschult. Sie lernen unter anderem Unterernährung vorzubeugen und leichte Formen zu therapieren. Als Multiplikatorinnen geben sie das Erlernte weiter. Das Wissen über adäquate Ernährung hat sich dadurch wesentlich erhöht. Aussagen der Frauen belegen, dass sich die Kinder besser entwickeln.

2016 wurden in der Land- und Viehwirtschaft 720 Haushalte mit verbessertem Saatgut unterstützt. Sie erzielten damit einen deutlichen Mehrertrag und haben mehr Nahrungsmittel zur Verfügung. 2017 wurden weitere 650 Haushalte mit verbessertem Saatgut unterstützt. Ferner wurden etwa 6.000 Haushalte zu besseren Anbautechniken in der Landwirtschaft beraten. Durch Förderung von Gemüseanbau in 34 Gemeinschaftsgärten wird die Ernährung der Familien vielfältiger und ausgewogener sowie das Einkommen verbessert.

Rund 750 Frauen bedürftiger Haushalte halten inzwischen Ziegen einer produktiveren Rasse. Mit der Milch können sie die Ernährung ihrer Kinder wertvoll ergänzen.

13 Frauengruppen mit insgesamt 367 Mitgliedern werden beim Aufbau Einkommen schaffender Maßnahmen unterstützt. So sind die Menschen durch Missernten weniger gefährdet. Beispielsweise wurden 8 Gruppen durch gemeinschaftlich betriebene Getreidemühlen unterstützt. 2.224 Frauen aus 24 Dörfern haben in 8 Monaten Betriebslaufzeit den Service der Mühlen genutzt. Bereits nach kurzer Zeit können einige Gruppen erstaunliche Betriebsergebnisse vorweisen. Sie haben weitere Maßnahmen initiiert sowie einen Vorrat an Getreide angelegt, den sie in der Hungerperiode zu moderaten Preisen an bedürftige Familien verkauft haben. Der Hunger wurde dadurch reduziert.