Acute food insecurity persists due to flooding and conflict, despite ongoing harvests

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The persisting acute food insecurity in Niger is concentrated in the conflict zones of Tillabéry, Diffa, Tahoua, Maradi, and Dosso regions, which continue to suffer the consequences of displacement and reduced access to food and income. These conflicts have led to the abandonment of fields in 126 farming villages (according to the Statistics Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock), constraining agricultural production and limiting income-earning opportunities and demand for agricultural labor. While food security is expected to improve seasonally starting in October due to increased food availability and income from harvests, acute food insecurity in the conflict-affected regions will remain critical due to these limiting factors.
Heavy rains continued in September, causing floods that further exacerbated acute food insecurity in the affected regions of Maradi, Zinder, Tillabéry, Tahoua, Dosso, and Diffa. The floods had affected approximately 268,000 people as of September 15, a sharp increase from the last figures reported in August (111,000 affected people). At least 6,500 hectares of crops were flooded, and 360 heads of livestock were lost (Statistics Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock). In addition to the flooding, hailstorms affected 2,511 hectares of crops. Despite these localized floods and some crop losses, agricultural yields are expected to be generally favorable due to a good rainy season performance, despite rainfall deficits in some parts of Tillabéry and Tahoua. According to the Statistics Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, crops are reaching maturity in the country’s main agricultural zones.
Newly harvested millet, sorghum, cowpeas, and peanuts are now appearing on markets, boosting local supply and reducing local consumption demand due to improved availability and access. According to the Agricultural Market Information System, food prices are falling compared to previous months and to the seasonal average, with declines of 10-15 percent between July and August and 20-30 percent below the five-year average, facilitating access to food. The start of cash crop harvests is creating income-earning opportunities and increasing demand for agricultural labor for harvesting.
Favorable rainfall has enabled good pasture regeneration and the recharging of water points, leading to improved livestock body conditions and market value. The cereal equivalent is currently 180 kilograms of millet per buck goat, representing a 50 percent increase between July and August, and over 130 percent and 65 percent increases compared to last year and the five-year average for the same period, respectively, according to data from Market Information Systems.
Food assistance provided by the government and humanitarian partners is ongoing, but geographic and operational coverage remains limited, constrained by reduced budgets given the additional costs imposed by mandatory military escorts (required by the government for humanitarian actors' movements). The ban on humanitarian presence in parts of Tillabéry, Diffa, Tahoua, Maradi, and Dosso during military operations is also a key factor that limits the geographic reach of humanitarian efforts to populations in need.

Recommended citation: FEWS NET. Niger Key Message Update September 2025: Acute food insecurity persists due to flooding and conflict, despite ongoing harvests, 2025.

This Key Message Update provides a high-level analysis of current acute food insecurity conditions and any changes to FEWS NET's latest projection of acute food insecurity outcomes in the specified geography. Learn more here.