Niger struggles to feed itself at the best of times – these are the worst of times

At the best of times this vast landlocked country – whose estimated 14.7 million people mostly live along a narrow strip of arable land on its southern border – has trouble feeding itself. Even in "non-crisis" years, 300,000 children are treated for malnutrition – 15% of the world total. This year threatens to be particularly severe due to late and erratic rains last year and a surge in food prices.

Last week, the EU's top humanitarian official, Kristalina Georgieva, visited Niger and Chadto see what was being done with EU partners to stave off disaster. She announced a doubling of humanitarian aid to €105m for this year, and is pushing for a further €250m for longer-term food security that would help Niger break out of its cycle of crisis.

NGOs help to the building of reservoirs, and create programs related to them helping the population to produce food but also keeping jobs. The help of NGOs for contraception is also a considerable assistance for this country. Despite the contribution of NGOs, the question remains regarding the amount of the help assistance coming from the West, especially with this new eurocrisis, when 10 to 12 million people are likely to have trouble buying food in the coming months.

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