More from millet

Sandstorms and soil temperatures that can reach 55C would be enough to discourage most people from attempting to grow their own food. But, if you add pests and diseases and a high risk of drought, can there be any hope of achieving a reasonable yield? These conditions regularly afflict some parts of the semi-arid tropics and yet, to survive, farmers must use their experience and ingenuity to overcome these daunting challenges. In the Dosso region of Niger, a millet growing area in the south of the country and close to the border with Benin, villagers have been assessing a new variety of millet. Could it provide better and more reliable yields?

The men, seated in the shade of the village tree, are engaged in courteous discussion, with many murmurs of understanding punctuating the phrases of the speaker. The women, seated together and a little apart from the men, listen and watch with every indication of respectful attention. The sound of millet being pounded provides a familiar background accompaniment to the talk which turns, as it will among farmers, to the weather. Rainfall, usually between 300mm and 600mm, had been especially low and there were also high winds and sandstorms. Balancing these setbacks had been the offer by a local NGO, EIRENE-Kookari, of a new open-pollinated variety of millet to try, alongside the usual varieties, and a supply of fertiliser. It takes several years to get a true picture of the value of a new variety, because each season presents its own unique set of variables. In the season under discussion, the new variety had performed well, withstanding the wind better, maturing more quickly and yielding more. The decision is made to retain some of the grain for seed for next season's planting. Daouda Guiambe of EIRENE-Kookari is pleased and looks forward to the time when the farmers here become seed producers for others in the region.

The variety under discussion has been bred by plant breeder, Anand Kumar, working for ICRISAT, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in collaboration with Niger's Institute for Agricultural Research. ICRISAT screened nearly 15,000 varieties from the Institute's genebank in India. Of those, seven were found that were resistant to high soil temperatures. Every one of them had originated in Niger. This essential characteristic, together with others from local landraces such as disease resistance, and a strong stalk to withstand the wind, were combined with early maturity and good yield potential to produce the variety known as ICMV IS 89305.

Advantages of earliness and hybrids

Earliness, or short duration, is important even though it can also present a problem. Its disadvantage is that birds will descend on any small stand of a grain crop that has matured before the main harvest. The options are then to scare the birds off or to persuade everyone around to plant early varieties as well in order to diffuse the problem. The great advantage of earliness is not so much earliness within a season but the shorter time required to reach maturity. If the wind and the high surface temperature kill the seedlings of the first sowing, as often happens in the Sahel, a new sowing can be made and harvested within a shorter time. Local, slower maturing varieties will not yield as well, and may fail altogether, if planting is delayed too long. Earliness helps to ensure an earlier end to the hungry season.

In India, 5-6 million hectares are now planted with hybrid millet varieties. Hybrids are known for their higher yields, uniformity and other advantages that are lacking in open-pollinated varieties. So why are open-pollinated varieties considered to be more suited to the needs of farmers in Dosso? The reason is that hybrid seed has to be produced - and bought by the farmer - on an annual basis. In practical terms this requires a private seed sector which Niger does not yet possess. Open pollinated varieties allow farmers to save their own seed from year to year. Nevertheless, hybrid seeds could be an option for farmers within the next few years. The use of hybrids tends to encourage the use of animal traction and purchased inputs such as fertilisers.

The government of Niger is introducing policies to support greater agricultural productivity. The country has one of the highest population growth rates in the world and, as the population increases, more and more marginal land is being cultivated. There is a limit to how far even marginal land will be available and cropping on marginal land is usually environmentally disastrous. Hybrid varieties coupled with improved agronomic practices are seen as a means of saving land and feeding the population.

Back in Dosso the discussion continues. If fertilisers are not available next year, would it be wise to consider leaving the crop residues on the land instead of removing them after the animals have eaten what they will? Some of the village elders have visited the ICRISAT's research station and were impressed at the difference the use of crop residues can make. Trust is being developed between the village, the NGO and the research station. Under the tree the discussions continue. The women prepare the food. At least there is enough to eat.

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