South of the Sahara Desert in West Africa lies the vast Sahel region. This Sahel region experienced large-scale droughts during the 1970s and 1980s, resulting in numerous casualties. Furthermore, since these droughts, land degradation, known as desertification, has come to be recognized as a contributing factor to such disasters.
Research in rural Niger indicates that advancing desertification is reducing land productivity and increasing vulnerability. In recent years, unpredictable rainfall has frequently led to poor crop growth. Rural residents suffer from chronic food shortages and are forced to endure harsh living conditions.
Amidst these severe conditions in the Sahel region, people utilize the leaves of the Balanites (Balanites aegyptiaca) as famine food. Field surveys indicate that residents maintain Balanites trees within their cultivated fields to secure emergency food supplies. Conversely, the Balanites tree, possessing viscous sap, can compact surrounding soil and potentially reduce crop yields. Younger generations, who have not experienced drought, tend to remove Balanites trees from their cultivated lands. However, those who endured the major droughts of the 1970s and 1980s actively maintain them. During food shortages, Balanites trees within cultivated land are open to all residents, enabling people to obtain famine food.
This presentation analyses the maintenance status and actual utilization of Balanites trees in rural cultivated land, revealing the practical survival strategies practiced within Nigerien rural communities.