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Women of Baura Village in Maradi, Niger, started this community garden with the help of Mercy Corps, Helen Keller International and Africare.
Map of Niger

Feed the Future has worked in Niger since 2013.

Value Chains

  • Poultry
  • Sheep and Goats
  • Cowpea
See more regional stats
  • 23.3 million

    Number of people living in Niger (World Bank, 2019)

  • 83%

    Percentage of population living in rural Niger (World Bank, 2018)

  • 48.5%

    Percentage of stunted children under the age of 5 (World Bank, 2018)

  • 45.4%

    Percentage of people living in poverty in Niger (World Bank, 2014)

Our Strategy

Strategy

Improve health and nutrition

Strategy

Improve the sustainable use of natural resources for agricultural and livestock production

Strategy

Enhance governance of institutions and organizations

Strategy

Empower women and youth

Strategy

Promote market access for agricultural products and livestock

Strategy

Build risk management among vulnerable households

Our Progress

  • 131,000

    Producers using new technologies and practices with Feed the Future’s help in FY20

  • 51,000

    Hectares tended with improved technologies or management practices with Feed the Future’s help in FY20

  • 52,000

    Children under 5 reached with nutrition help in FY20

Our Work

Broad-based development in Niger has been hampered by rapid population growth (almost 70% of the population is under the age of 25), poor infrastructure, extremely low education levels and recurring exposure to multiple concurrent shocks, such as conflict, droughts and floods.

This high-risk environment hinders investment by foreign governments and the private sector, further limiting the ability of the country and its people to grow economically and effectively mitigate, adapt to and recover from shocks and stresses.

To help Niger improve its food security and strengthen resilience, Feed the Future invests in efforts to help families increase their access to water and other natural resources, develop businesses, engage in growing markets and improve their health and nutrition. Feed the Future integrates agriculture and nutrition investments to enhance cognitive and physical development, increase economic productivity, strengthen resilience and advance global development.  For more information, please view the Nutrition Priority Countries.

Spurring Agriculture-Led Growth

In Niger, Feed the Future invests in sustainable water security, livestock, climate-resilient agricultural production, new infrastructure, market access and natural resource management. The initiative also unlocks access to finance for local entrepreneurs and small business groups and trains Nigerien farmers to help them grow commercially viable commodities like cowpeas, poultry, sheep and goats.

As of 2020, USAID has increased the adaptive capacity of farmers by way of diversified economic opportunities beyond rain-fed agriculture through small-scale irrigation, home gardens, increased livestock production, improved access to finance and the creation of social enterprises linked to project activities (e.g. community-based solution providers). In 2020, USAID enabled nearly 111,500 producers to better adapt to the impacts of climate change by using improved management and technologies. More than 82,000 hectares have been put under improved management practices or technologies that promote improved climate risk reduction, and more than 2.3 million hectares were put under improved natural resources management in 2020.

Feed the Future established or revitalized livestock market management committees in 15 markets, where all 15 successfully incorporated as businesses, allowing them to raise organizational revenues to support market management. Feed the Future continues to inform and sensitize producers and local authorities on deworming and vaccinating flocks, and reached more than 4,200 producers in 2020. As a result, revenues for farmers groups and commune taxes increased, making it possible for local authorities to invest in additional infrastructure and services.

Building Strong, Resilient Communities

The Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE) program, Feed the Future’s primary investment in Niger, helps communities strengthen resilience to recurrent crises by creating better access to water and other natural resources, promoting business development and opportunities to engage in growing markets, improving health outcomes, strengthening effective governance at all levels and empowering women and youth to be a force for positive change in their communities.

A 2018 analysis of the program showed that RISE contributed significantly to positive results, with a 24.6 percent rate of return and evidence that the program has successfully helped families escape poverty and strengthen their resilience. The expected economic benefit to the nation’s economy is projected to be $19 million by 2024. Additional evidence has shown that these families were better able to maintain or improve their food security despite being exposed to more shocks and stresses such as drought, flooding, conflict and food price spikes.

Source

The results shown reflect data from a combination of USAID Mission Activity Reports, the RISE Impact Evaluation and information from the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. African Development Foundation, reported into Feed the Future’s central monitoring system for fiscal year 2020 (FY20). All dollar amounts are listed in U.S. dollars.

Our Activities

Feed the Future supports the following programs, partnerships, and organizations in Niger:

View all activities
  • CATALYZE
  • Development Finance Corporation Loan Guarantee
  • 12/12 Alliance For Year-Round Resilience in Maradi
  • Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems
  • Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Sorghum and Millet
  • Feed the Future Soil Fertility Technology Adoption, Policy Reform, and Knowledge Management Project
  • Mobile Technology for Development Partnership
  • USAID Yalwa
  • Millennium Challenge Corporation
  • Sahel Collaboration and Communication Activity
  • SERVIR West Africa
  • Sustainable Opportunities for Improving Livelihoods with Soils Consortium
  • TerresEauVie Water Security and Resilience Activity
  • U.S. African Development Foundation
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • USAID Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel
  • Wadata
  • Youth Connect
  • Hamzari
  • Breakthrough Action
  • Girma
  • Breakthrough Research
  • Kulawa (Health Service Delivery)

Related Resources

November 29, 2018

Feed the Future Niger Country Plan

View PDF

USAID IDEA Country Dashboard for Niger

Learn more

Featured Story From Niger

New Partnership Works to Reduce Food Insecurity, Change Lives

The yields were so impressive that people throughout the commune considered it worthwhile to collaborate with the project. Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel – Enhanced Resilience has changed the lives of people in our community and is now increasing its impact.

Harounda Dan Fadji, Mayor of Sabon Machi

View all stories from Niger

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