More than a harvest: How one family is building greater resilience in Niger

In El Gueza village in Niger’s Maradi region, farming and family responsibilities have traditionally followed distinct roles. Men cultivate the family fields, while women care for children and manage much of the household’s food stocks. Women also process agricultural produce and can generate their own income by selling surplus production.

For 40-year-old Toukour Abdou, his two wives and their eight children, these interconnected roles mean that what happens in the field can have consequences for the entire household.

Abdou, a smallholder farmer, grows millet to support his family. Until recently, he relied largely on traditional farming practices, harvesting around 50 bundles of millet from his plot.

Through the Joint Programme on Accelerating Progress towards Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE) in Niger, Abdou joined a Community Farmer Field School (CEAP), where he received practical, hands-on training in improved agricultural practices. He was able to test the techniques directly in his field and apply them throughout the cropping season.

The difference was significant. His harvest increased from 50 to 105 bundles of millet on the same plot, more than doubling production.

“The CEAP has given me practical techniques that I can directly apply in my field. I have seen the results for myself. On the same plot, I increased my millet production from 50 bundles to 105 bundles. I am very satisfied with what I have learned.”

Empowering women, while engaging men as agents of change

While women are at the heart of JP RWEE, the programme recognizes that lasting progress in rural women’s economic empowerment also requires engaging men. Working with men as agents of change can help create a more supportive household and community environment for women’s economic participation, while strengthening the resilience of families as a whole.

Abdou’s family illustrates this approach. His two wives are also JP RWEE participants and have received pastoral kits to support their productive activities. At the same time, Abdou’s improved farming practices have increased the amount of millet available to the household.

For the family, the additional 55 bundles represent more than a successful harvest. Increased production strengthens household food availability and can provide more surplus for processing and sale, creating further opportunities for women to generate income.

By working with women directly while also engaging men, JP RWEE seeks to address the interconnected roles that shape rural livelihoods. Abdou and his family’s experience shows how improved agricultural knowledge, women’s productive activities and greater household resilience can reinforce one another, helping create stronger foundations for rural women’s economic empowerment.