QC Provides Food Security to 800,000 People in

QC Provides Food Security to 800,000 People in Niger

5/12/2016 | Rohama

Faisal Al Fahida: I consider this project one of the greatest distinguished strategic projects offered by QC to fight against poverty and to cover the people’s basic needs.
Through this program, QC supported the international efforts exerted to offer food security in Niger as a response to the call from the Donors Forum held in Doha 2007.
The most important outcome of the program was to level up the quality of agricultural production; in addition, it seeks to double the crops so as to meet the people’s basic needs.

From 2007 until 2015, around 800,000 people benefited from the food security program implemented by QC in Niger. It focused on implementing income-generating projects in the fields of agriculture and ranching; and supporting cooperatives.

This distinguished program came as a response to the invitation of the Donors Forum which was held in January 2007 in Doha. It was to support Niger and help it overcome its continuously threatening food crises; it was implemented at around the same time of opening an office for QC there.

Overcoming the Hardships

In a press release, Mr. Faisal Al Fahida, CEO of Operations Management at QC, said, “This program was initially implemented 8 years ago in Niger. We are still working on it, however. It is considered one of the most qualitative projects which helped fight poverty and ensure food security. Niger is a country that suffers from food crises because of the heat waves that hit it and because of some other agricultural problems”. Al Fahida spoke about the obstacles and problems that face the agricultural sector in Niger. He spoke about the initial surveys which were conducted to the areas where QC intervened. The problems which were spotted were related to the lack of variety in farming and the conventional methods used in doing so. QC worked hard to face these challenges and suggested new, modern methods for farming so as to increase the production and to guide the farmers to the best ways of farming.

The program achieves food security through two ways: First, to support the farmers, farming, and ranching through the use of modern techniques and equipment. In addition, the program offered training to the farmers and followed up with their work to increase production through organizing training courses for all the beneficiaries. For example, the courses covered how to use manure and plant vegetables. The courses also taught the beneficiaries how to plant the seeds and use manure. 80% of Nigerians depend on farming and agriculture to receive their income; especially areas in the countryside. QC’s support was to level up the living standards of a big group of poor people. The program covered 8 villages in Dosso and Tillaberi; and expanded to 200 villages. Second, to implement income-generating projects as part of signed cooperatives using benevolent loans. The program established banks for grains and windmills; it also provided carriages for transportation purposes.

These projects are all considered essential to QC’s office’s projects. Dosso, Tillaberi, Tawa and Niamey were the main areas for QC’s intervention because of their population and their high rates of poverty.

Through the outcomes of its program, QC was able to provide huge quantities of seeds and introduced new types which were no used before. It created a new agricultural variety in Niger and met the food and production needs of the inhabitant. Tons of manure were distributed which made the beneficiaries further use it. The benefiting farmers described how their crops became twice the quantity of earlier time. In certain regions, the production was three times the previous amount of production. Such results were because of the manure and seeds the farmers were provided with and because of the farmers’ use of proper ways of farming and fighting insects.

After 8 years of application, the outcomes of the program were as follows: 159 grain banks were established, 667,836 people benefited; 36 windmills were built from which around 281,681 benefited; 197 areas were provided with seeds, manure, and agricultural equipment from which 110,645 people benefited. In addition, more than 115,000 people benefited from the cattle and sheep raising project. 54 training courses were held on the modern farming techniques and ways to run projects. 1,420 trainees benefited from the sessions. As for small projects, more than 21,000 beneficiaries made use of the projects in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture. Furthermore, 427,227 breakfast meals were distributed, focusing mainly on intervention areas. 850 tons of grains were distributed as part Fitr zakat of this year; 98,405 people benefited. 1,571 tons of grains and 375 tons of manure were distributed in partnership with UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Integrated Efforts

One of the most important objectives of QC in Niger was to contribute to the development of the country through implementing multiple projects and programs that cover the country’s basic sectors such as education and health. It also aimed at fighting poverty according to the strategy signed with the country, which meets with the government’s policies and guidelines. In addition, QC aspires to achieve food security in that region because of the drought waves that hit the area several times and reduced the production of crops and number of cattle.

You can donate to support such projects through the link: Click here