A project in the village area of Karma 60 km west of Niamey, Niger pays people in grain to dig half moons to harvest rain water.

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Sahel food crisis

Photo: Ryan Worms/CI

In the Sahel region in West Africa, about 19 million people faced severe food shortages after a failed harvest in 2012.

The hardest hit countries were Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Chad.

In September 2012 the Sahel region had a better harvest due to improved rains. CANZ funds helped people get access food in the three months in the lead up to the harvest. This is known as the ‘hunger season’ when people are waiting for crops to grow and ripen.

Our partners Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Caritas Niger (CADEV) are still working in the region to ensure long-term solutions for this drought prone region. These include developing livelihood programmes and education around agricultural techniques.