CBA Niger: Adapting to Climate Change in the Community of Tamalolo

This Community-Based Adaptation project aims at improving living conditions and the adaptive capacity of the rural communities of Tamalolo (Niger) through the implementation of enhanced farming practices. The project site is in the Sahelo-Saharan zone of Niger, identified by the country’s National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) as the most vulnerable area in the region to effects of climate change.

The project area encompasses 14 villages and tribes, with a population of approximately 2,216 residents—51 percent of whom are women. The communities’ principal socioeconomic activities are farming and breeding. Farming is rain-fed and practiced by all three ethnic groups. The predominant crops grown are mil, sorghum, black-eyed peas, okra, and sorrel. There is extensive breeding of goats, cattle, sheep, camels, donkeys and horses, and limited trading of goods, including sugar, doughnuts, condiments and cola.

All of the agricultural activities are highly reliant on annual rainfall. The repeated droughts, extreme temperatures and violent winds affecting the region make the communities of Tamalolo vulnerable. Food insecurity is high, access to water is scarce and all valued wildlife and vegetation species have disappeared and/or are now endangered. Ecosystems are also affected by these climate changes (soil degradation, rapid drying out of ponds, loss of woody and grassy vegetation species, disappearance of vegetation species, increased scarcity of young shoots). Water, which is increasing unavailable, is the key factor limiting development in Tamalolo. As the aridity in the area increases, agricultural production and the survival of the communities and animals reliant on water are significantly threatened.

Several climate change studies forecast an increase in average temperatures in Niger, growing precipitation variability, rising evapotranspiration and aridity. As described by the Nigerian NAPA, over the past decades the region has experienced several years of droughts, violent winds, extreme temperatures, dust storms, as well as grasshopper infestations and bush fires. In the long run, these climate risks are expected to increase. In addition, climate change will impact natural and agro-pastoral ecosystems, increase soil erosion and reduce the availability of water. This situation will augment production risks, and the survival of communities dependent on these natural resources will be jeopardized.

The most significant impact of climate change on the community is the decreased agro-silvo-pastoral production, causing chronic food insecurity, the loss of animals and a significant fodder deficit. To help the population adapt better to the effects of climate change, the project aims at intensifying and diversifying agro-silvo-pastoral production mainly through the improvement of rainfall production systems and the introduction of drip irrigation, which allow the local communities to increase the quality and quantity of their agricultural products, including mil, sorghum, and black-eyed peas. While the project was developed by CRAC-GRN, an NGO working in Niger since 1988, nearly 12 other NGOs and associations are also involved in the Tamalolo process. Project activities are implemented in a participative manner through the different management committees established, including community members, CRAC- GRN and authorities of the department and commune of Tanout.

To increase food security, decrease the loss of animals and fodder deficit, the project undertakes a variety of activities with community involvement. Simple water and soil preservation technologies will be developed and taught, and locally-appropriate agroforestry techniques introduced. Traditional wells will be improved and vulnerable groups (particularly women) will be equipped with low-cost drip irrigation. Zai, a half-moon and stone-line farming technique that restores degraded soils and improves biodiversity, will be introduced. Biological chords will be constructed to reduce the sand infiltration.

The project helps community members better understand climate change and the associated risks and impacts. It also aims at building the communities’ organizational capacities, with the prospect of sustaining the activities and ensuring the long-term viability of project. Together, these activities make the area more climate-resilient and decrease the community and ecosystem’s vulnerability to climate variability.