Livestock guarantees survival during lean seasons in the Sahel - Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium asbl

The Sahel region, to the south of the Sahara, is one of the hottest, driest regions on our planet. It has two seasons in alternation: the rainy season, a short but relatively intense period between June and September, followed by a long dry season.

A substantial proportion of Niger is covered by desert, and its annual rainfall varies between 100 and 600 mm depending on the region (compared to an average of 900 mm in Belgium). In the dry season, the average temperatures exceed 40°C, limiting the availability of water and seriously affecting agricultural and herding activities.

What are the consequences for the rural population?

The shortage of water, and also of food, reaches a peak between the end of the dry season and the end of the rainy season. This situation affects both population and livestock and is known as the lean season. For populations who rely on rain-fed agriculture, it is the critical period when stocks from the previous harvest are exhausted, but the new crops are not yet ready for harvesting. At that point, the food shortage may last a few weeks or even for several months, usually between May and August in Niger.

Every year, this situation seriously jeopardises the food security of rural populations. In 2024, around 3.4 million people in Niger found themselves facing serious food insecurity. Food shortages contribute directly to the increase in malnutrition rates, especially among the most vulnerable people such as children and pregnant women. In 2023, 47% of children under the age of five suffered from stunted growth linked to chronic malnutrition.

This year’s rainy season was marked by extreme weather conditions. In several regions of Niger and the Sahel at present, heavy rain that falls suddenly and violently is causing terrible floods. The consequences have been dramatic: 332 human casualties and 19,274 animal losses by mid-September, and around 14,000 hectares of fields and crops destroyed. Not to mention the damage to homes and the loss of food stocks, which only increased the vulnerability of the population.

Access to water, a major challenge

While food shortages are the most obvious consequence of insufficient or excessive rainfall, other crucial issues are linked to the management of resources (water, pasture, etc.) and adaptation to climatic conditions. Water sources (wells and rivers) are under pressure. This affects the quantity of water available, but it can also cause a deterioration in quality. Thus we are observing an increase in the risk of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera, along with health problems linked to dehydration and heat.

Disrupted rainfall also has an impact on the environment. Whether it rains too much or not enough, pastures that are deteriorating or drying out no longer provide a sufficient source of food for animals. The weakest among them do not survive, while the others become less productive and less resistant to disease. This pressure on limited resources is the root cause of conflicts between livestock keepers and agricultural farmers, who have to share these resources. In this context of a fragile local economy, marked by rising food costs and falling farm incomes, part of the population is forced to adopt survival strategies. For example, it is common for people to go into debt, sell their produce and livestock or look for other sources of income, such as cutting and selling wood. The latter activity, which contributes directly to deforestation, has the effect of intensifying desertification and further reduces the fertility of the soil.

Livestock, the key to meeting essential needs in the countryside

Animals play a crucial role during Niger’s dry season, especially among livestock-keeping families. Cows, goats and camels provide milk, an important source of protein and other nutrients, which is consumed by the families themselves. The sale of livestock and by-products such as milk, cheese and butter enabled the purchase of other foods or to meet other essential needs.

In rural areas, animals are also a means of transport. They are essential for drawing water from wells and transporting water, wood and agricultural produce over long distances, especially when the water sources are far away. The livestock also help with agricultural production: they are used to work the fields, with animal droppings also acting as a natural manure to enrich the soil for future crops.

Animals at the heart of solidarity

The herds also have great cultural and social value in the Sahel. In many pastoral cultures, livestock is a symbol of wealth and social status. The herd represents the main capital for livestock keepers and a form of savings for farming families, who sell the animals to support themselves. They also play an important role in weddings and other social and cultural events, and are an integral part of the customs of solidarity.

So the survival of the herds is vital to maintaining the various strategies of cooperation that help people face the challenges linked to a shortage of resources. The livestock keepers work together to organise transhumance: they share the available pastures and waterholes to water their livestock, for example by drawing up calendars for their use.

What is Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium doing to help the population?

During the lean season, we provide food aid to the most vulnerable families. If severe droughts or other climate shocks lead to crises, Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium also organises distributions of cash, animal feed and veterinary medicines. These emergency activities avoid the need for populations to resort to negative adaptation strategies in the short or medium term.

We also help the population to extract optimal value from their agro-pastoral activities and support entrepreneurial projects that generate income. As such, we support many young people who want to go into poultry farming, agri-farming, and the processing and marketing of dairy and other livestock products.

To ensure the environment is protected, we also help communities set up practices for the sustainable management of natural resources. For example, we train people in the use of drought-resistant forage crops. In Niger, the 26 agro-pastoral Field Schools have already given 832 students the opportunity to experiment with ecological farming techniques.

Through our emergency assistance and development activities in Niger, we give the most vulnerable people ways to get through the lean season in dignity. What’s more, all of it is possible without needing to sacrifice their own ways of facing up to environmental and climate challenges.