In countries such as Niger, Mali and Chad, which hug the southern fringes of the Sahara, there is always a shortfall of food at this time of year, between one harvest and the next. Some children will always die in this lean season. The same used to happen in Britain, in the depths of midwinter; hence the need for a December celebration to lift everyone's spirits. This year, unusually, the shortfall in Niger has been devastating. The reason, analysts say, is not locusts or drought, which only dented last year's harvest by about 11%. According to the Famine Early Warning System Network, a Washington-based group that tracks such crises, a major factor in Niger's shortfall was the export of food to wealthier West African countries, driving prices in the market out of the reach of the poorest.
The Niger government offered food at subsidised prices, below market rates, but even this was too much for the very poor. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres blames Niger's pursuit of free market policies for escalating the crisis. The government refused to distribute free food in the worst-affected regions because they feared it would disrupt the markets, the charity says. The comparison with Mali is instructive. Mali, which neighbours Niger, was also hit by locusts and drought after last year's harvest. But the Mali government instantly handed out around 10,000 tonnes of millet, the staple crop, for free to the hardest hit. It has since organised the free distribution of a further 11,000 tonnes of millet.Don't blame the locusts -- The Guardian
