Relief or agricultural development? Emergency seed projects, farmer seed systems and the dissemination of modern varieties in Mali and Niger

Emergency seed projects tend to be implemented in response to natural disasters such as drought, flooding, cyclones, hurricanes, and civil conflict, particularly those involving population displacement or return. The assumption on which these projects are based presumes that farmers lose or eat their seed so that seed is no longer locally available or accessible. Recent research, however, haschallenged this assumption (Longley and Sperling 2002). Studies undertaken in southern Sudan (Jones et al. 2002), Somalia (Longley et al. 2001), southern Africa (Friis-Hansen and Rohrbach 1993), Rwanda (Sperling 1996), and Sierra Leone (Longley 1997) have shown that not all farmers lose their seed, and - even if they do - seed is often locally available through grain markets or from farmers in neighboring areas. Implicit in such findings is the need to reconsider the aims and modalities of conventional emergency seed projects. If it is assumed that farmers affected by disaster have no seed, then the aim of an emergency seed project is ostensibly to provide farmers with something to plant in the forthcoming season. However, as we shall see in section 5, there are, in practice, various other underlying objectives - often unarticulated - for which seed is given in emergencies. One of these underlying aims is the promotion of modern varieties. Some of the existing guidelines on emergency seed provisioning recommend the use of local varieties which tend to be more appropriate than modern or improved varieties (Chemonics 1996); others present a more nuanced view, advising that the choice of varieties will depend on the farming community's pre-disaster situation (ODI 1996). If the objective of an emergency seed intervention is 'to return the local farming system to a situation as close to its predisaster status as possible' (ODI 1996: 16), then modern varieties should only be given if farmers depended on modern varieties prior to the emergency. This paper challenges this position, suggesting that - in some recurrent or long-lasting crisis situations, and provided that adequate varietal trials have been undertaken - carefully chosen modern varieties may usefully increase varietal diversity. Rather than returning to the pre-disaster situation, such an approach aims to enhance the capacity of farmers' seed and agricultural systems. But an intervention that sets out to promote varietal diversity and strengthen local agricultural systems must be implemented very differently to an intervention that aims to provide emergency seed aid. As such, it might best be considered as part of a longer-term rehabilitation strategy as opposed to a short-term relief activity; in other words, seed system support rather than emergency seed provisioning1 (ODI 1996)

Irrigation et intensification de la production agricole au Sahel : perceptions paysannes sur la double riziculture et les variétés de riz utilisées sur les aménagements hydro - agricoles au Niger

Objectif: L’étude vise à cerner les perceptions paysannes sur la double riziculture et les variétés utilisées au Niger.Méthodologie et Résultats: Elle a été menée sous forme d’enquête auprès de 345 producteurs de 10 aménagements hydro-agricoles de la vallée du fleuve Niger. Malgré le caractère aléatoire de l’agriculture pluviale, le riz demeure une culture de second rang tandis que la maîtrise de l’eau à tendance à favoriser le non-respect du calendrier cultural engendrant une augmentation des coûts de production et une baisse des rendements. La double riziculture se caractérise par une dizaine de goulots d’étranglement (P < 0,01) dont 3 apparaissent majeures : la contrainte de main d’oeuvre, l’étiage du fleuve et l’approvisionnement en engrais. Sept sources de fourniture de semences ont été identifiées tandis que près de trente contraintes sont signalées sur les variétés (P<0,001). Les plus importantes sont la faible résistance aux maladies, l’exigence des variétés en engrais et le faible niveau de rendement.Conclusion et application des résultats: L’état de la filière riz au Niger mérite la réhabilitation des services d’encadrement des producteurs, la mise en place d’un système efficace d’approvisionnement en intrants de qualité et une intensification de la recherche en vue de la mise au point de variétés à la fois résistantes aux maladies et moins exigeantes en engrais.Mots clés: Agriculture irriguée, perceptions paysannes, double riziculture, variétés de rizEnglis Title: Irrigation and intensification of agricultural production in the Sahel: peasant perceptions on dual rice cultivation and rice varieties used in irrigation schemes in NigerEnglish AbstractObjective: The study aims to determine farmer’s perceptions on modern rice farming system and varieties used by farmersMethodology and Results: The study was carried out form a survey near 345 producers from 10 hydroagricultural perimeters of the Niger River valley. In spite of the overdrawn character of rain agriculture in Niger, rice remains a second-rate culture while the water control supports the non-observance of the farming calendar, which generates an increase in the loads of production and a fall of the yields. Double rice production is characterized by ten constraints (P<0.01) of which 3 appear major: the labour force unavailability, low water level of the river and inputs provisioning. According to varieties used, seven providing sources was identified and nearly thirty constraints are announced (P<0.001). Most important are low diseases resistance, fertilizers high requirement and yield low level.Conclusion and application of results: Niger rice production system situation require the rehabilitation of farmers framing services, the installation of a good quality inputs provisioning mechanism and an the intensification of the research in the field of the development of varieties at the same time resistant to the diseases and less demanding in fertilizer.Keywords: Irrigated agriculture, farmer’s perceptions, rice annual double production, rice varietie