When exchanging with social actors of the Niger Central Delta, notably men, women and young people, I could realize the immensity of the needs of the communities and their perceptions of the relationships with space and their social environment. Here are some elucidations about exchanges organized during talks and debates.
Men are much hopeful as far as external help and support to development are concerned. This means NGOs and the State’s support throughout development actions. Among the activities already realized, we can make a note of, among others, the existence of literacy centers, cereal banks, small village irrigated perimeters. The access to cereal banks is not given to everybody because of cereals high price. Food help particularly, seems to be a priority strategy, but is not yet seriously taken into account by the State during difficult periods and during which cereals are rare and expensive in the market. Women want to enhance the training in agriculture and start activities of small trade.
The usual strategies of responses to pastoralists’ crises in the area seem to give out bit by bit : youth rural exodus, groups splitting up, climatic risks, weak yield of pastoralism and agriculture. Men’s and sometimes women’s migration still goes, and sometimes very far. But settling seems to slow down the traditional and exceptional mobility of women in these groups, their non pastoral and non agricultural responses to the needs.
Polygamy that is developing, although denied and mocked in women’s speech, is a reality ; it might also be an attempt of response to extreme poverty, to the abandonment of transhumant pastoral system ; it appears more compatible with the settling, the new fields to grow.
The use of population growth is a strategy of protection against the forgetting of policies. I heard the same speech in the neighbouring villages and saw the same strategies of the development of polygamy : minority groups feel neglected because they are not numerous enough, their voices “do not weigh” in elections, so, they are forgotten….
The norms of access to and of the management of the resource land are not yet defined : if the rights of property and of shepherd transmission were clearly established in the bosom of the pastoralists’ family, by specifying those of women and children, nothing has not yet been transposed or adapted as regards land tenure rights.
Women’s and men’s solid competences in pastoralism could not clearly change in agricultural competences : agriculture has not yet been integrated as a true response to crises, particularly since the quality of lands, in one hand, and the very uncertain rains of an area which is more pastoral, in the other hand, do not go this way. It seems that a competition between agriculture and pastoralism has taken hold, a competition in which pastoralism keeps preferences, remains the reference model …. but it seems more and more unrealistic.
The process of transition of the system of production has hardly started. Hesitations, confusions and contradictions that have been observed are signs of people who have lost their social references and norms. This is due to social, political and institutional mutations with the new State that has been susbstituted for the old organizations for several years. It’s very fearful that women are those who will strongly pay, with, besides poverty which strikes the whole group, the loss of their social status, and beyond, of their liberty.
Men are much hopeful as far as external help and support to development are concerned. This means NGOs and the State’s support throughout development actions. Among the activities already realized, we can make a note of, among others, the existence of literacy centers, cereal banks, small village irrigated perimeters. The access to cereal banks is not given to everybody because of cereals high price. Food help particularly, seems to be a priority strategy, but is not yet seriously taken into account by the State during difficult periods and during which cereals are rare and expensive in the market. Women want to enhance the training in agriculture and start activities of small trade.
The usual strategies of responses to pastoralists’ crises in the area seem to give out bit by bit : youth rural exodus, groups splitting up, climatic risks, weak yield of pastoralism and agriculture. Men’s and sometimes women’s migration still goes, and sometimes very far. But settling seems to slow down the traditional and exceptional mobility of women in these groups, their non pastoral and non agricultural responses to the needs.
Polygamy that is developing, although denied and mocked in women’s speech, is a reality ; it might also be an attempt of response to extreme poverty, to the abandonment of transhumant pastoral system ; it appears more compatible with the settling, the new fields to grow.
The use of population growth is a strategy of protection against the forgetting of policies. I heard the same speech in the neighbouring villages and saw the same strategies of the development of polygamy : minority groups feel neglected because they are not numerous enough, their voices “do not weigh” in elections, so, they are forgotten….
The norms of access to and of the management of the resource land are not yet defined : if the rights of property and of shepherd transmission were clearly established in the bosom of the pastoralists’ family, by specifying those of women and children, nothing has not yet been transposed or adapted as regards land tenure rights.
Women’s and men’s solid competences in pastoralism could not clearly change in agricultural competences : agriculture has not yet been integrated as a true response to crises, particularly since the quality of lands, in one hand, and the very uncertain rains of an area which is more pastoral, in the other hand, do not go this way. It seems that a competition between agriculture and pastoralism has taken hold, a competition in which pastoralism keeps preferences, remains the reference model …. but it seems more and more unrealistic.
The process of transition of the system of production has hardly started. Hesitations, confusions and contradictions that have been observed are signs of people who have lost their social references and norms. This is due to social, political and institutional mutations with the new State that has been susbstituted for the old organizations for several years. It’s very fearful that women are those who will strongly pay, with, besides poverty which strikes the whole group, the loss of their social status, and beyond, of their liberty.
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