Grain Aid

The harvest of 2011 was once again non-existent in some areas of Niger – the village of Kongu where I work is one such area.  The rains came late – meaning that the villagers did not plant their fields until July.  Then, the rains in August were sporadic and few.  By the end of August, the millet in the fields was burned by the sun – the villagers stopped  their field work as their harvest was lost.  Soon after, a locust infestation invaded and ate the green beans planted between the millet stalks.  On one such day, as I drove to the village – my truck’s passage on the dusty road set the locusts to flying through the air, I could barely see the road and fields for all the locusts in the air!
For the third year running, the villagers of Kongu harvested little to no food, and are left only with the hope of the next harvest – October 2012.  By January, some of the villagers were down to eating 2 meals a day.  And I wondered if by June, they would even have the strength to work in their fields.  The price of food continues to rise these days, and as the merchants will soon need to stock grain from other countries, the price will likely rise again.

My team is initiating a dual-strategy in answer to the food crisis this year.  The initial strategy is to provide the "food for today".  Once again, I am overseeing a grain aid program in Kongu – bringing out 100kg sacks of grain each month.  The villagers have chosen a rotating distribution of two groups – one group each month – and they pay a reduced price for the grain, the funds going back into the purchasing account for next month’s grain. 

And, since we started working with these villagers in the Fall to implement a development training program – the second strategy is to provide "food for tomorrow".  This week, agriculture agents will be travelling to the village to teach about field work techniques as well as to introduce a new millet grain which will ripen in less time – decreasing the dependency on the rains lasting for 3 months. 
Though the villagers have heard of this grain, they are hesitant to leave “that which we know, even though it does not yield much; for that which we do not know, even though it could be better”.  We will be providing each field owner enough of this new grain to plant one hectare – along with the materials necessary for their field work.  In this way, the villagers can plant both the familiar and the new in order to compare.  The idea is that following the harvest, they will reserve the best of the new for planting the following year – so that each year, their crops and thus their harvest will strengthen.
The dual strategy is necessary.  To simply feed them year after year – strategy one alone – would create dependency, and should we one day in the future need to leave, they are still in the same situation, struggling to feed their families.  In the long run, we have not helped them at all.
But – to implement the secondary strategy alone is hard as well.  As these villagers are subsistence farmers – it is hard for them to think of combatting their hunger five years from now, when they are hungry today!  Simply put, if they have no food to eat today, they have no energy to plant the fields and certainly no energy to put forth the extra effort of new field work strategies with the hope of a better harvest in five years.
I am learning that development work here is slow – what I do today cannot greatly change today nor the future.  And the struggle to dream of a better future in the face of fatalism and the desperate need of today is difficult.  Never has the term “baby steps” seemed more appropriate!
Stay tuned for the story on field work training later this week!  For now, some of my favourite pictures of the grain aid deliveries in March and April:




This little guy snuggled up beside me on the mat while we waited for the grain to be unloaded:


Meanwhile, the villagers gathered into their respective, ten, village areas to give their money to their village representative.  Once I collect the money, the sacks for that village is unloaded into a designated area so everyone can keep track of their sack.


 

Sometimes, the sacks are not good quality – grain spills on the ground, and I run for the duct tape.  Yup, duct tape works wonders in the prevention of grain loss!!  The villagers keep constant eye on the sacks as they are unloaded, calling often: “Khadiza, bring the scotch!”

Once the grain is distributed, the sacks are then loaded onto cow carts and donkey carts, bicycles and motorcycles.  The grain distribution point is at the centre of the village area  - 120 square kilometres - some of this grain is then carted out 10-15 kilometres from this point to where the recipients live!