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EIGER

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH PROJECT 8TAPF APPRAISAL REPORT

I* BACKGROUND

A. Introductlon

1.01    Niger i8 a vast landlocked country with a population of morę than seven million (1987) and is among the pooresc countries in the world, with a per capita GNP of US$280 in 1987. The current estimated average annual growth ratę of the population is 3.21. A major concem is the intensification of population in the smali restricted area that is suitable for cultivation. This area is being slowly reduced by the southward creep of the 400 mm isohyet. Per capita availability of arabie land with at least 600 mm precipitation and of irrigable land is only one third of the average for the Sahelian countries. About 10Z of the land receives an average of 350-600 mm of rainfall. and about IZ of the land receives 600-800 mm of rainfall; no area receives morę than 800 mm. Soils are generally poor with little organie matter and therefore have poor moisture and nutrient retention. Rainfall is not only scant but also irregular, makIng Niger vulnerable to drought. Rainfall during the last decade has freąuently been below average.

1.02    Improved performance in the agricultural sector will be crucial for futurę growth₉ sińce an estimated 80-90Z of the population depends on this sector for its livelihood. In the long-term₉ development of Nigerien agriculture will depend largely on technological lmprovements which could make the country • s limited resource base morę productive at a reasonable cost and in a sustainable way. The standard technical package for rainfed agriculture based on Chemical fertilizers₉ single cropping and animal traction does not respond to farmers* constraints and priorities. and has not been widely adopted. Yariations in micro-climates and soil conditions make it difficult to apply a standard technical package to large areas.

1.03    While the prospects for a significant technological breakthrough are not bright₉ progress can nevertheless be achieved in improving farming systems by cautiously adapting some modern techniąues to local systems, by making inezpensive improvements in traditional agricultural techniques₉ and by focusing adaptive research on the technical and economic constraints to the intensification and integration of crop/forest/livestock production systems.

1.04 The national agricultural research agency (INRAN) was created in 1975. It aaalgamated the groups drawn from the following French research