The pond is threatened by the expanding desert and storms that sweep in enormous quantities of sand. The pond’s capacity to stock water has decreased over time. When the first winter rains arrive, it overflows and floods neighbouring gardens and homes. But by December, it has already begun to dry up.
The idea that the pond could dry up entirely is a source of anxiety for the town’s inhabitants. Even if the water is not potable, many families have no choice but to drink it. In this harsh environment, water is essential to breed livestock, farm fish, make bricks and irrigate gardens.
“Our gardens mean everything to us,” says Bintou. “When there is no more water, we have to dig wells and hope that they won’t dry up too quickly. We also have to buy pumps to draw water.”
A number of factors make life difficult for farmers, including climate change. “Evidently, water is increasingly rare, which makes the pond dry up more quickly,” says Djibrilla Maiga, an ICRC agronomist. “But you also have to take into account the stray animals that are ravaging plantations, as well as the farmers’ approximate understanding of food production and conservation methods.”
The ICRC is working with the Agronomic Research Centre of Mopti and the National Seed Service to improve food security by supporting projects that seek to multiply seeds and by distributing seeds and tools to farmers. We are also collaborating with national and local agriculture authorities to provide seeds, tools, equipment and/or fertilizer to families living in areas affected by armed conflict – another factor that exacerbates the day-to-day lives of the inhabitants of Ménaka and the rest of the region.
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