Field Work: Rainy Season and Growth

The week that I left Niger to return to Canada was the start to rainy season in Niger.  In fact, one of the villagers of Kongu called my director’s cell phone at midnight to report that the rain was falling and he was going to start planting his fields the next day!  Apparently he was so excited that he kept repeating “the rain is falling, the rain is falling, the rain is falling!!!”.  I’ve had a few midnight calls from various villagers – and though it disrupts my sleep, their news always “makes my midnight”!  (My apologies to Brenda who had to intercept this phone call . . . but I think the news “made her midnight” too.)

In Niger, we look forward to rainy seasons for many reasons:

1. it is the first moisture in 8-9 months (aside from the occasional mango rain)
2. it breaks the heat of hot season – though I personally prefer the dry heat of 48+ degrees to the humid heat of 35+ degrees
3. it brings new life and the hope of food for the next year

The villagers of Kongu have much to be excited about this rainy season – following the teaching of new planting techniques and the distribution of a new millet seed that we did in May. 

My teammates and I are also excited for this rainy season to see the fruit of labour that the villagers will put in to plant the new seed . . . to see their granaries fuller than ever before.  We have spent much time in prayer for the rains to come to the land of Kongu.  Traditionally, the rains arrive in Kongu two weeks later than in the capital city – the 10-25 km distance making a vast difference in their rainfall and growing capacity.

I would have loved to have been there this summer – to see the seed being planted and growing, but my teammates have sent me some wonderful pictures:

July
The new millet growing:                    Comparison – old to new millet seed:
 

In the picture on the right, you can see the comparison of the two millet seed varieties.  The new millet seed in the background, and the old/traditional millet seed in the foreground – barely growing and sparse.

August
My teammates visited three of the village areas in Kongu to survey the fields, the villagers are very excited for the harvest to come!
Kongu Gonga:


This is Abedi – he lives in Kongu Gonga (gonga = truth).  He is a Tuareg man, and the midnight caller . . . he was so excited about the new seed grain, he bought enough seed to plant all his fields with the improved millet seed!

He reports that a normal yield for his fields in an average year is 300-400 bundles of millet.  Last year, he harvested 30.  This year, if the rains continue, he estimates that he will harvest 1000!!!

Kongu Faldjam:
The new millet growing:                    Comparison – old to new millet seed:
 

This is Amadou standing in two of his fields – again comparing the new millet seed to the traditional millet seed growth.  It is amazing to see the difference and the hope that the new millet seed brings for a better harvest.

Kongu Golfumba:


This is Midou Boureima, one of the village committee members standing in his field of the new millet seed.  I love that he is smiling – the Fulani rarely smile for photos (it is a serious event!) – but here he is smiling in his happiness over his field growth!!

September
Kongu Golfumba:
Again, back in Kongu Golfumba which is the centre of the radius that encompasses all 10 of the Kongu village areas.  This is the land where the chief lives – here is his son Abdoulaye in his father’s field.



The new millet is looking good and almost ready to harvest!  However, it needs another 1-2 rains to finish the maturing process - there is a white powder on the heads of grain yet that needs to come off before they can harvest.  By all appearances, this new millet will be a bumper crop for this village who have not had a good harvest in 3 years!

Please pray that rain will continue in this village area.  This millet needs to come off the field!  As well, the traditional millet seed that most planted also still needs rain in order to grow and mature – it will not be ready for harvest until closer to October.
Finally, pray that both fields will harvest before locusts arrive.  Locusts in Africa are still a problem – moving from country to country.  In a normal year, the locusts will hatch in one country and fly to the neighbouring country – eating the fields on their flight – and then lay eggs there.  The next year, the locusts will hatch and then move on to the next country.

This year, however, there will be a second hatching of locusts as the rains came early in Mali – the country directly to our west.  This means, that the locusts will hatch around October and fly to Niger – just in time to eat the millet at harvest time. 

Due to the political instability in Mali, we first heard that no measures would be taken to control the locust nesting ground in Northern Mali.  However, recently we have heard that something is being done (will be done?). 

Our prayers now are two-fold:

1. that the efforts to eradicate the locust eggs in Mali will be effective
2. that the fields all across Niger will be harvested before any locusts which may hatch and arrive to eat the crops

For a history on the food crises in Niger, and the reason for our prayers and excitement that this new millet seed will harvest well, read this news article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17506421