Table 3 Community actions taken and external assistance received in coping with drought in the study sites

Fakara

Sales of livestock to buy grains, harvesting of wild plants for food, working as casual labourers in nearby towns, help from relations, sales of household properties

Not really effective in coping with severe droughts

Food aid - few bags of millet, sorghum, and maize were given to each household and few bottles of cooking oil

Very effective in coping but not regular

None

None

Gabi

Harvesting of wild plants for food, sales of livestock to buy grains, migration of young men to work in Nigeria, help from relations, and sales of household properties

Not effective when faced with severe droughts

Food aid - few bags of sorghum and maize were given to each household and few bottles of cooking oil and biscuits. One bag of wheat flour and few bags of rice were distributed to each household during the drought of 2005 along with powder milk and salt

Very effective in coping but most households sold the bags of rice and wheat flour to buy sorghum

MSF (Médecins Sans Frontière) distributed powder milk, bottles of cooking oil, and fortified biscuits. Malnourished children were fed at MSF feeding centre

Very effective

Zermou

Harvesting of wild plants for food, hunting of wild animals, sales of livestock to buy grains, migration of young men to work in Nigeria, and borrowing from people in the community to buy grains

Effective when the drought was not severe

Food aid - few bags of sorghum, groundnut, and cowpea were given to each household and few bottles of cooking oil and biscuits. The state also gave loan to some households to buy food

Very effective

Food aids from the World Food Programme and Catholic Relief Service

Very effective