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ANNEX 6 p.l of 3

mb aaimic or mon

NAHOHAL

Background

1.    The agrlcultural seccor, includlng crop and liveatock productlon, foreatry and flsherlea, la Niger'a moat lmportant eeonoale actlvity and provldes the prlnclpal llvellhood of tha populatlon. Buc, although Niger has managed co ba self-aufflclent ln lea baalc acaple food cropa (mlllet and cowpeaa) and ln llveacoek, except durlng excaptlonally dry yeara, productlon haa been oalntalned at the coat of a deterloradon ln cha anvironment. Durlng che past 10 to 15 yeara, the limit for aatlafaecory ralnfed orop productlon haa moved aouth by 70 to 100 km., conaequently increaalng the populatlon and productlon preasure on tha area recalvlng mora than 350 mm ralnfall per annua. Increaalng unrellabillty ln dlatrlbuclon has accompanled thla reductlon ln tocal ralnfall. Nlgerlen agrlcultura la aubalatence^baaad, productlvlty haa not lmproved over tha laat 25 yeara and purchaaed productlon lnputa are rarely uaed. The malntenance of aoll fertillty througjU long fallow par loda haa had to be prograaalvely abandonad as areaa under cultlvatlon have been lncreaaed to produca aufflclent food for the growlng populatlon.

2.    At tha aame clma there haa been a daatabillaatlon of the llveatock productlon ayatem aa tha eąulllbrlua of tha tradltlonal crop productlon ayacema haa been broken under che cooblned atraaaea of droughc and populatlon pmaaure. In addlclon, the droughta hava contrIbuted to overgrazlng and

er alon of rangeland through the cultlvatlon of morę marglnal land ln the paatoral zona.

3.    Foraatry la charactarlaad by an acceleratlng degradatlon under tha comblned effecta of drought and nan (clearing for culclvatlon, ovargrazlng and firewood collectlon); anmial conaunptlon of firewood now far exceedlng the annual Increoant ln productlon,

4.    Bnvtronmental degradatlon la a progreselve and complex proceaa and, ln Niger now conoema all areaa to eome extent. The reducdon of avallable fallow land for paecuree haa'not been compensaced for by lncreased producclon of fodder cropa or avallablllty of crop realduea for llveatock feedlng and therefore less llveatock have been able to make uae of the agrlcultural zona. Thla haa, ln tum, reaulted ln leaa aanure and ao dlmlnlahlng ylelda and a compenaatlng expanalon of cultlyated areaa. In the agrlcultural zona, aedentary farmera now put rangalanda and crop realduea, formerly avallabie to tranahumanc paatorallata durlng dry aeaaona ln return for aanure, to thelr own uae. Conflicea batwean sadentary farmera and pastorallsts ara growlng and both crop and llvestock productlon systema are loalng auetalnablllcy. Natural foreata ara belng progreaaively dlmlnlahed and traea hava not yet been wldaly explolted for thelr non-timber beneflta of crop and aoll proteotlon, loprovement of aoll farclllty and nutrlclon of llveatock.