Irrigation Management in Times of Shortage, Contraints, Strategies and Adaptive Measures for Irrigators in Falki and Gadouram (Mirriah-Zinder-Niger)

Abstract : Climate change in Niger in general and in the study area in particular has led to a socio-environmental change. The main consequence of this situation was a drop in yields in a context where food needs are increased. Today, we are increasingly seeing the promotion of irrigated agriculture which increasingly makes up for the deficits recorded by rain-fed production. The present study conducted in the rural commune of Mirriah aims to carry out an investigation into the analysis of irrigation management in periods of shortage, strategies and local adaptive measures used by farmers at the market gardening sites of Falki and Gadouram. The methodology consisted of visiting these sites to speak with producers in order to get to grips with the problem relating to irrigation water in times of shortage. Thus, a survey was conducted among 230 producers from the 2 study sites, or 13.2% of all irrigators. The results of the study show that the mode of access to land is among others: 67.91% inheritance, 25.5% purchase, 5.3% loans and 1.25% rental. The chi-square test showed that the strategies and adaptive measures used by irrigators to deal with multiple and untimely shortages do not vary significantly depending on the market gardening sites (P=0.464). The results of this study reveal a range of strategies developed and measures taken by operators. The strategies include: the construction of traditional cesspools (23%); the use of connected motor pumps (24.8%); irrigation during the night or very early in the morning (27%); the cleaning and deepening of wells or sumps (7.8%); the choice of early or resistant varieties, the reduction in cultivated area and 6% of producers took no adaptation measures, due to a lack of technical and financial resources. In order to increase water retention capacity and improve irrigation management, the State must build irrigation canals in concrete or reinforced concrete from the Timballa dam to the Falki pond in order to reduce ...