BALTIMORE—Lutheran World Relief, with funding from the European Union, is launching a three-year initiative in Dosso, Niger to strengthen farmers’ resilience to climate change risks by increasing agricultural productivity and helping them to sustainably manage their land.
The $1.6 million “Gomni ” project, meaning “great opportunity” in the local language, will assist 10,000 rural farm families in this arid region of Niger. In recent years, it has suffered from the effects of climate change, including the disruption of the cycle of seasonal rains, rising temperatures, increased erosion and wind damage to vegetation. Increased tensions due to water scarcity have led to violent conflicts between farmers.
The Gomni project will equip these farmers and their communities to better adapt to the challenges of climate change and transition from survival to stability.
The LWR initiative will seek to increase farmers’ resilience to these challenges by increasing productivity on their farms through the use of best environmentally friendly agricultural practices, as well as improving water, soil and forest management. It will also strengthen and improve the management of local community-based organizations so they can provide more effective extension and marketing services to these farmers.
The Gomni project is part of the Climate Resilience Support Project for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Niger (Projet d’Appui à la Résilience Climatique pour un Développement Agricole Durable au Niger, or PARC-DAD) funded by the Global Alliance against Climate Change (l’Alliance Mondiale contre le Changement Climatique (AMCC) initiative launched in 2007 by the European Union. The Ministry of Finance is the contracting authority and the Ministry of the Environment and of the Sustainable Development of Niger will provide technical assistance.
LWR has been working in Niger since 1975, supporting local farmers and farmers’ cooperatives in building more resilient agriculture production systems that can help them adapt to the challenges that threaten their livelihoods and well-being, and transition from survival to stability.
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Lutheran World Relief is an international NGO with nearly 75 years of demonstrated expertise that works in partnership with local communities to build their capabilities and collaborate on long-term solutions to reduce extreme poverty. In times of emergency, LWR is also a trusted partner to distribute aid and ensure people are prepared to withstand the next unexpected challenge. For more information, visit lwr.org.
