How can we maintain hope when climate change threatens people’s survival? This is the challenge facing the inhabitants of the Fabidji commune in Niger, whose crops are being affected by the disastrous effects of climate change. A project aims to strengthen their resilience through agroecology.
Facts
Aims
The project aims to improve food security and resilience to climate change by empowering and building the capacities of farming families. To achieve this, the project focuses on:
- Training in agroecology
- Construction of irrigation systems
- Awareness-raising on vegetable cultivation during the rainy season
- Use of meteorological data
- Production and use of local seeds
- Environmental conservation and protection
- Prevention of child malnutrition
- Literacy courses for women
- Implementation of income-generating activities, such as the sale of vegetables
The project is partly funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
The 47,000 inhabitants of the rural municipality of Fabidji in southwestern Niger live mainly from agriculture and livestock farming. The municipality is severely affected by the impacts of climate change, which has consequences for agricultural production and the survival of families.
Increasingly frequent heavy rainfall floods the fields and causes the crops to rot partially or completely. Just as suddenly as the rains begin, they stop again – leaving the farmers with the bitter loss of their already meager harvest. To make matters worse, the desert is spreading over part of the farmland, rendering it unsuitable for cultivation.
Agroecology, the solution of choice
SWISSAID’s projects always consider the changing climate. In Fabidji, agroecology is the chosen approach to strengthen food security. By growing quality seeds adapted to local conditions and using natural fertilizers, crops become more resistant and farmers increase their crop resilience and reduce their dependence on market prices. 375 farmers attend practical training courses on soil fertilization and crop health. These trained farmers go on to share their knowledge within their communities.
Ramatou Amadou also took part in the project. Today, she is better able to feed her family on a regular basis.
“Thanks to the half-moon technique, the harvest is now much richer after the rainy season. This is a great relief for us women who harvest the crops – it not only makes our work easier, but also more rewarding.”
The 40-year-old Ramatou Amadou, mother of six children, is able to better feed her family thanks to agroecological methods and vegetable seeds.
Gardening through the rainy season
Traditionally, market gardening is only practiced in the dry season due to irrigation needs. However, SWISSAID encourages families to grow vegetables even during the rainy season—typically devoted to cereal crops. “We received seeds that help us bridge the gap until the first cereal harvest. Now we grow vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, and tomatoes,” says the farmer.
Because few vegetables grow during this season, produce fetches good prices on local markets—a welcome source of income and dietary diversity.
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Selling part of her harvest allows Ramatou to buy other staples such as grain and pulses. With other women, she also started poultry farming.
“I now have my own small business,” she says. “By selling some chickens, I bought bags of peanuts, which I will sell later.”
A positive cycle that helps Ramatou achieve more stability in her daily life. But the need remains: “We still need access to drinking water, fences for our vegetable plots, and tools to work the soil.”
