Factors that effect Poverty and Malnutrition in Niger

Niger

Niger is a country located in the continent of Africa, it’s a land locked country which is the largest in West Africa. With a population of just over 13,300,000, it is also one of the poorest countries in the world (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009).  Niger   remains incapable of becoming a prosperous country due to numerous geographical, Economical and political influences. Niger geographical situation has made a large contribution to the problems which the country has faced, with over 88% of Niger terrain engulfed by desert plains and poor agricultural climate means crop production can be seriously hammered (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009). The population growth rate is also an issue which will cause serious strain on the economy, education and health system for many years to come. These issues combine together to form a country on the brink of a disaster every year.

Geography

Niger is the largest country in West Africa with approximately 1,267,000 sq. Km of land and 300 sq km of water making it three times the size of California (U.S Department of State, 2009). However, a large portion of this land is covered by desert and mountains which is uninhabited and provides little use for the agriculture sector. The  crops which are generally farmed on the arable land accounts for approximately 730 sq km along the south border is where the majority of farming is done (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009) Crops which are generally produced here are pearl, millet, sorghum, cassava, and irrigated rice. These foods are Niger’s main staple crops which need rain for growth. Cowpeas and onions are also grown for commercial export these are generally known as cash crops (U.S Department of State, 2009). In 2006 these agricultural crops accounted for 9.9% of foreign exchange earnings within the country and are the population main source of provisions. However Niger is a country which suffers from periodic droughts which seriously hampers the growth of their main crops, this in turn forces the country to have a reliance on grain purchases and food aid (U.S Department of State, 2009).  

Climate’s effect on population and agriculture

Niger has suffered many years of extreme weather condition namely a series of droughts and floods. These weather conditions have left numerous people homeless and killed thousands not to mention the effect on agriculture. In 2004 a serious drought in the region forced the embassy to declare disaster when harvest fell by 11% (U.S Department of State, 2009). This reduction in food production caused a dramatic increase in food prices for example the price of a 100 kilogram sack of millet which was enough to feed a family for 20 days, increased from FCFA 10,000 in 2004 TO FCFA 30,000 by 2005. The average annual income for a Niger family is $240 (World Vision, 2009) or FCFA 105,120, which means a year’s income, would feed the family for 60 days of the year (3D trade, human rights, Equitable Economy 2006).   The Food emergency has ended due to good harvest in recent years; however food continues to be a major concern as the country relies on harvest crop as their main source of provisions.

 The occurrence of numerous floods has also made an impact not only on farming but also a strain on government finances. The most serious floods that have occurred were in 1988, 1994, 1997. A study conducted between 1970 and 2000 found that 53 newspapers reported 79 damaging floods in 47 different communities in Niger, these flooding left 30,000 people homeless (Hedger M & Cacouris J, 2008). The floods also had major consequences for the government through cash losses and infrastructural damage. Three of the serious floods caused more than $4 million U.S dollars worth of damage (Hedger M & Cacouris J, 2008). It’s believed that more extreme weather conditions are set to increase due to global warming. It’s predicted that temperatures will increase and cloud cover will decrease which will cause a decrease in soil moisture. These changes will have a damaging effect on crop production of millet and cowpea, which are the main staple crops produced in Niger (Hedger M & Cacouris J, 2008).

Niger’s reliance on farming as a source of food leaves them at risk of starvation and mal-nourishment. Most farmers often only have small plots of largely un-arable land which is becoming increasingly at threat of desertification, which not only effects crops but also livestock as there is inadequate fodder to feed the animals. The population growth rate of Niger has exceeded the level of food production in the country for many years. This demographic growth has in-turn made 678,000 farmers chronically food insecure. According the United Nation World Food Programme’s farmers produce only enough food to live on for three months after harvest, they then rely on aid, gifts, and begging (U.S Department of State, 2009).

The Population

The population of Niger is another prominent factor which has inhibited the prosperity of the country. Currently Niger has a growth rate of 3.3% when compared to growth rates in the rest of the world which are 1.6% it shows Niger is growing twice the rate of the rest of the world which is a startling demographic statistic (Earth Trends, 2005). At present there are 13.5 million people living in Niger, if this Growth continues there will be 56 million people in Niger by 2050 (Investor Relation Information Network, 2007). Considering Niger has difficulty feeding the population at present if it increases by another 42 million it will have serious consequence for the country in every sense. For example the demand for staple cereals will increase from 3 million tonnes to 13million, arable land per person will be reduced to 0.3 hectare compared to now at 1.2 hectares, vaccinations for newborn children will increase from 500,000 to 2million, and the working age population will increase from 4 million to 21 million (Investor relation information network, 2007). This will place tremendous strain on education, health care, food provision, the economy, and the environment. However the people of Niger remain uneducated about family planning. In a survey on the country it found that the average amount of children per mother was seven, with many of the mothers wanting nine to twelve children. The government are currently implementing an action plan to reduce the number of births per family. They plan to increase education on family planning from 5% to 20% by 2015; they are also considering raising the marriage age from 15 to 18 which will take four years off the reproduction life of a woman (Investor Relation Information Network, 2007). This action will hopefully reduce the birth rates in the country in the coming years.

The Status of women in society

The status of women in Niger is largely undermined and generally they have little influence in the work place. Over 89% of women work in the labour force, yet they have little economic power. Women are generally found working in crop production; however they are excluded from the production of cash crops due to gender issues with access to money, training, technology and transport facilities (3D trade, human rights, Equitable Economy, 2006). The production of cash crops is becoming a major issue in Niger. Cash crops such as cowpeas and onions are replacing where staple crops are grown. Thus reducing the people’s crop production and increasing the risk of malnutrition across the country. Women face discrimination in many other forms as their property rights come from their status as wives and mothers rather than as individuals. Therfore when their status changes through marriage, divorce or becoming widowed it can have serious consequences for their access to food and resources (3D trade, human rights, Equitable Economy, 2006). Discrimination against women is also evident in the education sector with only 15% of women being literate compared to 42% of men (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009). This means millions of women in the country are unable to have any influence over the running of the country or become self sufficient in providing for their family.

(Central Intelligence Agency, 2009)

Education

The pro-natal philosophy Niger people have will cause many problems in the country for a number of years to come.  Currently there is a massive strain on education in the country, with 50% of the population under 15 years old (Earth Trends, 2005). This high percent of children and teenagers means there is a pupil teacher ratio of 41:1which is almost double the ratio in developed countries (Rapport du pays, 2000 cited in Exegesis Consulting/Strategic Management Concepts Inc, 2004). In 2001 1,249,700 children aged 7-12 were out of school. In the country it’s compulsory for children between the ages of 7 and 15 to attend school (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009). However due to the shortage of teacher and rural isolation in many part of the country only 25% of these children attend school (Global march, 2006). This means many children grow up illiterate and become involved in child labour, child trafficking, and prostitution in order to survive. It’s estimated that 250,000 children are employed in both small scale mines and quarries, which accounts for approximately half the total number of people doing this work in the country  (UN News centre, 2005).

Diseases in the country

The prevalence of disease epidemics is responsible for a large amount of death in the country. There were 70,000 people living with HIV and AIDS in 2003 and 4,800 of those died from the disease that year (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009). The main reason for the spread of such a disease is due to the lack of education on the illness. They also don’t have access to any birth control methods which makes it difficult to reduce the spread of the disease. Malaria is another epidemic which has devastated the country; the disease particularly affects young children suffering from malnourishment. It’s believed that 50% of all deaths in children under five are caused by Malaria. It’s predicted that 200,000 children will suffer malnutrition during the peak malaria season, and half of them will contract the deadly disease as a result of being malnourished (World Health Organization/UNICEF (2003) cited in Gay-Andrieu F et al, 2005).

Economy

Niger’s economy is largely based on livestock, uranium deposits and agricultural products. In 2006 foreign exchange earnings were 55% from uranium, 14.7% from livestock, then 13.6% from gold and 9.9% from agricultural produces (U.S Department of State, 2009). This shows how reliant the country’s economy is on the sale of uranium deposits and the agricultural sector. This reliance can cause serious problem if either of these sectors face any form of hardship. For example in the 1980 the uranium boom ended which left Niger economy severely damaged as uranium is the main exchange earnings for the country not to mention the job losses which occurred. Lucky the sector began to improve again in 2007 as a result of higher world prices (U.S Department of State 2009). However, the agricultural sector of the market is the most important asset for the people and for the economy. When the agriculture sector is damaged it has serious implications for the country’s food stores and economy.

 Foreign Aid

Nearly half of the government's budget is derived from foreign donor resources. Foreign aid accounts for 8.3% of Niger’s GDP which is over 40% of government revenues (U.S Department of State, 2009). In 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and made an agreement on a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). The debt relief provided significantly reduces Niger's annual debt requirements, which frees funds for health care education, HIV/ AIDS prevention, poverty reduction schemes, and rural infrastructure (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009). This will aim to promote higher standards of living and social development. Poor countries like Niger also accumulated large amounts of International Financial Institutions (IFI) debt. The IFI have conditions to the loans that involve deregulation, privatisation and trade liberalisation. However in 2001, the commission on human rights found the IFI mandated privatisation of government services had amplified food insecurity and undermined human rights. (3D Trade, Human Rights, Equitable Economy, 2006). The commission blames Niger’s privatization from agricultural services as the main cause of the 2005 food emergency. The government claimed their refusal to hand out food on the argument that the distribution would cause aid dependency and market distortion (3D Trade, Human Rights, Equitable Economy, 2006). This type of corrupt leadership thus enhanced the crisis and causes numerous deaths from malnourishment.

Government

According to the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, Niger is a country which has a high rate of corruption with a score of 2.6, considering 10 is the least corrupt (Infoplease, 2006). Corruption can have serious effects on the running of a country and usually causes areas such as health, education and human rights to be undermined. In order for the country to prosper they need to reduce corruption and incorporate a fairer system and government.

The Niger government also came under scrutiny about slavery in their country. Through social pressure they eventually criminalized it in 2003. However, about 43,000 people are still thought to be held as slaves. In 2005, a ceremony was planned to celebrate freeing 7,000 slaves, but the government still denied that slavery existed in the country (Infoplease, 2006).

The government have also found its self in deep waters with both the United States and Britain as it was claimed that Iraq brought uranium from Niger to produce nuclear weapons. While the U.S found the connections was false, in 2004 Britain’s Butler report found evidence of a relationship with Iraq and Niger. This was later found to be untrue (Infoplease, 2006). Nevertheless an association with Niger helping Iraq could have serious consequences for the people of Niger as both the U.S and Britain provide the country with large sums of aid each year, if this aid was to be withdrawn the country would be under tremendous financial pressure.

Inequalities

Inequalities are a very prominent issue in Niger. There are massive inequalities within rural and urban communities. For example 73% of children in the capital city Niamey attend school, compared with just 17 per cent in rural areas. This illustrates the great disadvantage which children in rural areas face (Africa Focus Bulletin, 2008). Yet the people that live in large cities also face inequalities as there are more jobs and schooling opportunities in small cities and towns than in large cities. The unemployment rates are 51% in larger cities and 40% in smaller cities of Niger. This is due to the large population rate in the larger cities (un habitat, 2009) In an equality measurement called the Gini coefficient which is a measure of income distribution. It found Niger to have a score of 0.505 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009) The values are from 0 to 1 and they indicate the extent of the inequalities in the country. Where 0 relates to perfect income equality and 1 relates to large inequalities (National Statistics, 2008). This illustrates that Niger’s income distribution is unequal with the population faced with an uneven distribution of income.

Conclusion

The country of Niger has remained one of the poorest countries in world for numerous geographical, economical and social reasons. The countries geographical climate is one reason that is seriously damaging the country’s ability to provide food and income for the population. Their reliance on substance crops has causes serious malnutrition and left the country in many food emergency situations. The population growth rate of the country is also a main factor for its poverty. With 50% of the population under 15 and a high rate of illiteracy among adults it means there are very few teachers to maintain an education system. The existence of diseases in the country has meant that large portion of the population have died or are suffering with an illness that could be prevented or easily cured. Additionally Niger’s Economy which is primarily concerned with agriculture and the sale of Uranium does not provide enough capital for the country to sustain an adequate health system, education system or even provide enough food for the population. The country needs to examine the development of oil, gold, coal, and other natural resources found in the country. This will help boost the economy and create more jobs.

References

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