How the indigenous plants of Niger have adapted to its ever-changing climate

Niger is one of the most ruthless and unforgiving places on Earth, not just for humans, but for plants too.

Named after the Niger River, this land-locked West-African country survives some of the harshest conditions on Earth. It receives scorching temperatures up to 45° Celsius, and a measly 2 centimetres of rainfall each year. Its extremely harsh climate is mainly due to the fact that more than 90% of the country lies in the infamous Sahara Desert, and because of the lack of coast to bring cool winds or rain. The ever increasing temperature due to climate change is amplifying the boiling year-long heat the country harbours. Along with the amount of destructive farming, human encroachment, bushfires and desertification that take place within the country, it makes it exceptionally difficult for plants to grow in Niger.

However, this arid landscape doesn’t stop every species of plant from thriving. Some of these native Nigerien plants have adapted to the increasingly torrid climate.

How do the native plants adapt to the harsh Nigerien climate?

Plants such as the beautiful Desert Rose succulent, and the Tamarind tree have adapted to the climate in ways such as growing extra long roots, allowing plants to reach the moisture at the water table, and also by developing a tolerance for withstanding droughts by storing large amounts of water within thick leaves or stems. These indigenous plants play a role in the environmental factors of Niger because they preserve the biodiversity by adapting and surviving. And these plants also improve the economical factors of the country by providing resources such as food and wood that can be sold commercially.

On the subject of indigenous plants, one up and coming social enterprise may have an ingenious way to help with the famine brought upon the majority people of Niger. Sahara Salel Foods is a recent startup with the ambition to cultivate, process and sell native wild Nigerien foods.

We have three main goals: generate sustainable revenue for the rural people of Niger, encourage land management practices that speed up reforestation, and offer healthy and natural foods to end consumers. — Renate Garvi

I personally believe that what this enterprise is trying to accomplish is simply fantastic. A large percent of the country has been suffering from food insecurity for far too long, and this enterprise can help turn it around, as well as trying to encourage reforestation practices in the country and employment of the local people too. I believe that the people of Niger should get fair a chance at life, as should any third world country, this is why I also believe that this approach to utilising indigenous plants can be used in to support other countries in need.

What is the difference between indigenous and agricultural plants?

Well to start off, indigenous plants are plants that are native to that specific country or region. For example, apple trees are indigenous to Central Asia, however, these days, the apple tree is grown all over the world thanks to human involvement in places like Europe, North America and Australia just to name a few, even though these are places where it did not originated from. Agricultural plants, otherwise known as crops, are plants that are cultivated and grown on a large scale to be sold commercially. These can be imported or native.

If you are interested in the helping betterment of Niger and supporting Sahara Salel Foods, you can email them at info@saharasahelfoods.com.