Climate change represents a challenge for rural people in West and Central Africa, causing water shortages and droughts in some areas and floods in others. It impacts both the demand and availability of water for agriculture, affecting the proportion of people suffering from insecure access to water. Smallholder farmers are...

The agricultural sector is one of the main contributors to economic growth and sustainable development in ECOWAS member countries. Women are driving forces for agricultural development, food security and nutrition in the region. They represent an important percentage of the agricultural labour force. They are the frontline nutrition care givers...

Niger is a landlocked Sahelian country, two-thirds of which is in the Sahara Desert. Although only one-eighth of the land considered arable, the overwhelming majority of Niger’s households is involved in rain-fed agriculture largely for subsistence. Given erratic rainfall and low soil fertility, most smallholders fail to produce enough food...

ECOWAS is an economic, social and political organization pursuing the vision of an integrated West Africa. The population of this vast economic block is about three hundred million. The demand for meat and milk was estimated at 3.84 million tonnes of meat (12.3 kg per capita) and 19.83 million tonnes...

This one pager summarizes a study on the programming approach adopted in Niger to implement food purchases for food assistance and to provide procurement preferential treatment to small-scale family farming food outputs. The study provides a detailed description of the selection of farmers, discusses the main constrains faced in a...

This video tells the story of Mehaou, an inspiring Nigerien farmer and grandmother who has overcome many challenges to provide for her family - including rearing, breeding and selling goats. FAO and the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF) fund are supporting hundreds of farmers like Mehaou in Niger to diversify...

Cet ouvrage qui est le premier d’une trilogie de la série changement climatique en Afrique de l’IFPRI et intitulé L’Agriculture ouest-africaine et le changement climatique: une analyse Exhaustive, examine la façon dont le changement climatique nuira à la sécurité alimentaire dans 11 des pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest, à savoir le...

The first report of the REGIONAL OBSERVATORY OF ROPPA (OFF/ROPPA) FAMILY FARMS deals with four questions that delivers successively (i) a farmer reading of the behavior of the West African family farms during the last two farming seasons; (ii) a status of the proximity support and extension from which these...

Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), FAW, is an insect native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Its larval stage (photo) feeds on more than 80 plant species, including maize, rice, sorghum, millet, sugarcane, vegetable crops and cotton. FAW can cause significant yield losses if not well managed. It can...

Zone climatique géologiquement très ancienne, la zone soudano-sahélienne a vu son sol profondément transformé sous l’effet du climat chaud et humide des temps très anciens. Ceci a eu comme résultat une désagrégation et une érosion du sol avec la formation d’une croûte latéritique imperméable qui empêche l’infiltration de l’eau et...

This video highlights the FAO Dimitra Clubs approach, its implementation, functioning modalities and keys features. “FAO-Dimitra Clubs: Stepping stones for rural development” is part of a series that illustrates the impact of FAO-Dimitra Clubs, a successful gender-transformative approach developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)....

Ce film montre comment un projet de gestion durable des terres, visant la diffusion des pratiques de Régénération Naturelle Assistée dans une commune du Niger, a intégrer un accompagnement des paysans vers une sécurisation foncière à travers les certificats de détention coutumière. En intégrant cet accompagnement, le projet RNA a...

Institutional procurement programmes are spreading throughout Africa, as they offer opportunities for economic inclusion in rural areas by enhancing market access. They can also contribute to increasing income levels, strengthening households’ investments and improving food and nutrition security, in line with the human right to adequate food (De Schutter 2014)....

Since 2012, FAO has been working with the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) on a joint programme for  Accelerating Progress towards the Economic Empowerment of Rural Women...

Land restoration in northern Niger is making degraded areas productive again, providing economic opportunities in a region where migration has become a tradition. Now, under FAO’s Action Against Desertification programme, these efforts are being expanded to six African countries. This success shows that land degradation around the Sahara is not...

This working paper examines the development of regional socioeconomic scenarios for West Africa’s development, agriculture, food security and climate impacts. We present four globally consistent regional scenarios framed and outlined by regional experts who crafted narratives and determined key drivers of change. Stakeholders identified the type of actors driving change...

This video shows how the clubs in Niger have been crucial in ensuring women’s access to land and water, while contributing to nutrition, food security, gender equality and the reduction of rural poverty at the same time.  Access to Water and Land” is part of a series that illustrates the...

The video shows how the members of the FAO-Dimitra Clubs in Niger and DR Congo have succeeded in improving their livelihoods and highlights the momentum they have created at community level. The video also explores the collaborations between the clubs and other development actors, such as rural institutions. ”Community Mobilization”...

The video shows how Dimitra Clubs play an important role in helping women gain self-confidence and in building their capacities to become leaders in their communities. ”Women Leaders” is part of a series that illustrates the impact of Dimitra Clubs, a successful gender-transformative approach developed by the Food and Agriculture...

Au cours des dernières années, la baisse des précipitations et la dégradation accrue des sols ont porté pour de nombreux habitants de Tinkirana - et ailleurs au Niger – à de mauvaises récoltes et de graves pénuries alimentaires. Les terres agricoles d’Idrissa étaient fortement dégradées. En 2015, il n’a récolté que...