West Africa Food Crisis
Providing food
During the West Africa food crisis, as the price of food escalated, Oxfam organised emergency food distributions.
Debie and Doule (pictured) carry a bag of rice, Oumdou Bammo, Niger.
As well as providing an immediate source of food for the poorest communities, distributions also supported a reduction in the market price of grain. This improved people’s ability to buy food when distributions ended.
Photo: Glenn Edwards
West Africa Food Crisis 2005
Information about Oxfam's response in 2005
Strengthening the herds
Weak animals are at greater risk of disease than healthy ones. Working with Malian technical services, we vaccinated 280,000 cattle.
Pastoralists herd their cattle ready for vaccination in the Gao region, Mali, January 2005.
Our support to cattle farmers continued with the sale of subsidised animal feed. This was a great success, with cattle farmers benefiting from buying feed at 40 per cent of market price.
Photo: Dave Clark
Organising seed fairs
We gave the poorest farmers free vouchers, with which to purchase seeds, at organised trade fairs.
Attayoub ag Mohamed, (pictured) works for Oxfam partner Tassaght. He organised a seed fair in Mali.
"It’s not easy to do something new. We had to persuade people to bring seeds, and explain the voucher system to them. Around 20 sellers were brought together on the day.”
Photo: Gary Iveson
Giving a fair price
Prices for weak animals plummeted during the crisis. Oxfam paid up to ten times market value for these animals.
Buying weakened animals provided an immediate income for families, and increased the survival chances of the remaining herd.
Carcasses (pictured) are all that remained of the animals once they had been slaughtered, and the meat distributed to vulnerable families.
Photo: Carlo Heathcote
Initiating voucher-for-work schemes
Some of the neediest people received vouchers for working on community projects. The vouchers could be exchanged for food locally.
Projects undertaken included planting trees, deepening and repairing water holes, and building dykes.
Here in Kouggou Niger, Ibrahim Doua can be seen clearing a firebreak – a clear path that can prevent bush fires from spreading and destroying pastureland.
Photo: Glenn Edwards
Empowering communities
The management of voucher-for-work schemes was, in many places, undertaken by the local communities.
Hawa Dagaibou, pictured, was elected to her village committee in Tassiga, Mali. The committee chose to plant trees to protect land, and to improve a watering hole.
“Oxfam asked us what we could do and then supported us to do it. This work helped us to eat and to develop our village," she says.
Photo: Kelly Crothers
Restocking
Following rain and improved conditions, replacing animals lost during the food crisis took priority.
Boulkheir Ould Mbareck from Mauritania, pictured, received animals from Oxfam. "I had some cattle but lost everything. These animals have changed my life."
Oxfam also carried out training in caring for the animals.
Photo: Yaye Fatou
Preparing for the future
We helped communities create Cereal Banks and plant vegetable gardens. Measures that will help them cope with future crises.
Cereal Banks give communities better control over the price of grain, and the ability to manage stocks during difficult periods.
We provide training, tools and seeds to help get vegetable gardens (pictured) going. Vegetables provide essential nutrients, and surplus can be sold to provide a small income.
Photo: Meena Bhandari
