Despite adverse conditions, with temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius in the shade, low and irregular rainfall and poor, highly erosion-prone soils, the majority of the population of Niger relies on income from rainfed agriculture. The country's irrigation potential is estimated to be at least 270,000 hectares. Only around 40 per cent of this potential is being utilised today.
The development of small-scale irrigation in Niger is hampered by the inability of small-scale farming families to make necessary investments in the expansion of irrigation perimeters. Moreover, in many places they do not have the necessary skills or access to inputs such as seed and fertiliser. Farms that do carry out small-scale irrigation often employ techniques that are not ecologically sustainable.
There is a shortage of advisory services in the area of small-scale irrigated agriculture. Farms lack expertise on topics such as growing methods, maintenance of irrigation systems, ecological sustainability, crop rotation, business management and market observation.
There are hardly any farmers' organisations that collectively regulate water utilisation or in which farmers come together to achieve efficient access to inputs and jointly market their produce.
At the municipal level, sustainable use of natural resources and climate change adaptation are usually considered less important than socio-economic infrastructure measures and are rarely mentioned in development plans. This exacerbates the lack of coordination of state investments and interventions in the sector.
Objective
The economic potential of small-scale irrigation in Niger's agricultural sector is used to generate value on a sustainable basis.
Approach
The project provides advisory services to the Ministry of Agriculture of Niger on the development and implementation of an adapted small-scale irrigation sector policy. It also develops and improves the skills and potential of private and public service providers in the sector. In addition, the project provides targeted support for farmers who operate small-scale irrigation systems.
The project cooperates closely with the investment component provided by KfW Development Bank.
Results achieved so far
The newly formulated national policy on small-scale irrigation has been submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval. This policy framework structures the investments that are needed to develop new irrigated areas. At the same time, the irrigation potential of the country's individual regions is being reassessed in collaboration with other donors.
Proposals have been prepared on giving service providers and advisors training in small-scale irrigation. They are gradually being put into practice.
More than 20,000 farmers have regular access to advisory services, which are adapted to focus on the agri-environmental conditions on their farms. The advisory services cover issues relating to growing methods as well as business management and organisation. They lead to higher income and crop diversification.