by Ruth Perkins, Niger
30 August 2005

Farmers may not be able to change the rainfall in Niger, but there are many things which they can do to alleviate the effects of famine.

One example is a lovely Christian couple, Issa and Chimma, who voluntarily do agricultural and health promotion as well as evangelism in their small village. A SIM worker visited Issa's farm recently and saw the wonderful results he is getting because of introducing variety of crops, reintroducing trees and useful grasses and herbs, and using simple techniques such as crop residue mulching and compost making, which improve soil fertility. Even last year, in a poor rainfall year, he had a better crop than many others - and that from land which was previously useless hardpan! He said their food had run out only 40 days ago. Most others ran out of food long before that.

When asked what he did, he said he sold his oxcart to buy food, and will be able to buy it back again when he has the money. The fact that he previously put money towards an oxcart, which was used to improve his farming, says something in itself. We thank God for volunteers like Issa and Chimma who live their lives with godly hope and wisdom, teaching others what they know, in villages across Niger.

SIM has nine emergency food projects stretched across the vast country of Niger, and more in neighboring Burkina Faso and Ghana. But our priority is to address the long term causes of famine. Our challenge is to stay engaged at the grassroots level, year after year, and make a difference after the media have left. Together with the Nigerien church, we are ministering to a spiritually and physically needy people, showing the compelling love of Jesus and how He changes His people.