Herdsman and its livestock, Diffa, Niger, Maria Luengo

The AREN, Association pour la Redynamisation de l’Elevage au Niger, wrote a report highlighting the alarming situation of livestock and agricultural activities in the Diffa region.

Traditional livestock and agriculture activities in the Diffa region strongly depend on rainfalls. Even though there is a rainy season, rainfalls are often not abundant enough and irregularly spreads over the territory. This year, the Diffa region only registered one forage production enabling to feed 40% of the livestock. Pastoral herding is then a challenging activity in such circumstances, and since the attacks of the insurgents, beginning of February, it is a serious issue. Harouna Hardo, a stock breeder from the North of Diffa, says: “The bad winter season that follows one another in Niger, particularly in Diffa make impossible the breeding of our cattle and we are considerably poorer. Even more extreme this year, the prevailing insecurity along our borders is overwhelming our pastoral zones. “

Indeed, pastoral activities rely on the herd’s movement across a given territory, and since the deterioration of the security situation, the movements on traditional axes are not possible anymore. Farmers, stock breeders and fishermen usually staying in the South East of Bosso, bed of Lake Chad, and all along the Komadougou River for its availability in water, are now all leaving and heading towards North West area. This has for consequence a strong pressure on already existing pastures and existing resources for them. Harouna deplores that “the grazing situation is very critical this year, like previous years we barely overcome the difficulty and it is taking away lives in the population of our livestock.”

Economic activities are totally disturbed in the Diffa region. To access the market to buy food for the livestock or to sell animals in order to better respond to the herd’s need is today impossible. Diffa region is one of the poorest in the world where any activity is a challenge due to the harsh environment and very little respite given by nature. Since the insurgent’s attacks, the situation for herdsmen is dire.