The nomads drive their animals hundreds of miles to find food
Posted on 08/16/2005 1:30:12 AM PDT by RWR8189
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The nomads drive their animals hundreds of miles to find food
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Nomads surveyed by the charity said that up to 70% of their livestock had died because of a lack of fodder.
Livestock are essential to the nomadic way of life and "targeted assistance" will be needed to help them, it says.
Nomads such as the Tuareg and Fulani make up about 20% of Niger's 12.9 million population.
"For Niger's nomads, the situation is desperate. To these people, losing your animals is like losing your life savings. Without their animals, they have no means of survival," said Natasha Kofoworola Quist, Oxfam's Regional Director for West Africa.
"Twelve centuries of nomadic culture are threatened with extinction if these people do not get long-term help to rebuild their livelihoods," she added.
Rebuild herds
The food shortages were caused by an early end to last year's rainy season, locusts and chronic long-term poverty in Niger, the second poorest country in the world.
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 Food aid alone will not solve this crisis. For nomads who have lost all or most of their animals, the harvest will make little difference  Natasha Kofoworola Quist, Oxfam's regional director for West Africa
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The shortage of fodder in Niger this year is estimated at nearly five million tonnes, while other neighbouring countries including Mali, Burkina Faso and Mauritania are also affected.
Two-thirds of this shortage is attributed to drought and one-third to locusts eating the grass.
Although food aid is starting to arrive in Niger and be distributed, it is not enough. The UN is still asking for $50m to get Niger through to October's harvest.
Some 32,000 children could die without urgent help, aid agencies say, while some 2.5m people need food aid.
This increase in food stocks will provide temporary relief for the nomads but must be followed up with help rebuilding their herds, says the charity.
"Food aid alone will not solve this crisis. For nomads who have lost all or most of their animals, the harvest will make little difference," said Ms Kofoworola Quist.
Hasn't "U2" and Live "8" already dealt with this problem?
The picture shows that the dead animal is lying on the grass(food itself). Perhaps they dont eat that kind.
If they're having problem about where to get food for their animals, why dont the UN send them tons of grass to feed them (animals) or ask Western Manufacturers for a canned grass...sarcasm//
Save the Goats
preserve the muslim sex life
Maybe that grass is the silica-rich grass that isn't very edible? Agronomic Freepers please advise!
How ever did these people survive BEFORE "international aid" existed?
Some would survive this without international aid. But many would die. Maybe most would die. But the nomadic culture would survive if only a few survived. That is why the nomadic culture persists.
But by modern standards, having millions of people starving to death is simply not acceptable. It is a difficult problem, because the population of nomadic cultures would normally grow and shrink with good times and bad. Trying to keep a stable population in a nomadic system makes no sense, because it will lead to over-grazing in unfavorable conditions, and the cycle will be destroyed.
Perhaps the best thing to do is to realize that during this period of poor rains some of the people will have to give up the nomadic life, and re-train them to be planters or industrial workers or some such. Then when times are better, they can return to their herds and flocks, if they want to. But simply letting them die as a function of the Malthusian operator is not acceptable by modern standards.
I'd say it's about time for extinction.
Good.
" Some would survive this without international aid. But many would die. Maybe most would die. But the nomadic culture would survive if only a few survived. That is why the nomadic culture persists."
Their nomadic, independent culture will die when they become dependent on handouts.
*I* value human life greater than that, but they might not.
It is hard to understand how powerfully these people want to be out with their livestock. I am all for diversity in cultures. If there are some people out there who want to follow cows and sing songs, the world is a better place. Not everyone can do it, but some can and some will, and this is a good thing.
I suspect that if some people were re-trained and were able to make a living doing something else, they would maintain the desire to return to the herds for generations. It is a powerful draw.
"It is hard to understand how powerfully these people want to be out with their livestock. I am all for diversity in cultures. If there are some people out there who want to follow cows and sing songs, the world is a better place. Not everyone can do it, but some can and some will, and this is a good thing. "
I've never been to Africa, but I've read a lot about the Masai, for example... and have a great deal of respect for them.
I'd imagine most of them would prefer to maintain their way of life and adapt how they can, as opposed to taking handouts.
Thought this was an article about 419 scammers being busted...LOL...
You are thinking of Nigerians, from Nigeria, as opposed to people from Niger.
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