@article{fdi:010057120,
  title = {{F}luctuations in the size of {L}ake {C}had : consequences on the livelihoods of the riverain peoples in eastern {N}iger},
  author = {{L}uxereau, {A}. and {G}enthon, {P}ierre and {K}arimou, {J}. {M}. {A}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{R}ecent level changes in {L}ake {C}had are associated with large area changes because the lakebed is almost flat. {T}hey have deeply impacted the lifestyle of local populations. {T}he {M}ober are the main ethnic group living in the surroundings of {B}osso, in eastern {N}iger near the {Y}obe {R}iver and in {L}ake {C}had. {T}hey were initially herders and farmers who developed flood-retreat farming and sophisticated irrigation systems. {B}ut their main activity during high {L}ake levels was fishing: it provided food as well as substantial incomes, thanks to the export of smoked and dried fish. {S}ince 1973, {L}ake {C}had has shrunk, mainly because of the decrease in rainfall in its southern hydrological basin, on the border between {C}had and the {R}epublic of {C}entral {A}frica. {O}n the border between {N}iger and {N}igeria, the {Y}obe {R}iver discharge was more stable but it provided a minor input to the {L}ake. {L}arge areas with rich soils, termed here as polders by analogy with those of the {B}ol region in {C}had, became available and allowed maize, cowpeas, sorghum and vegetables farming without irrigation or fertilizer. {T}his system is governed by the "bulama," chiefs of the villages and of the land that is still abundant. {H}owever, without any return of the {L}ake on the polders, there is a serious risk of soil exhaustion. {S}weet pepper farming has been developed on the sandy {Y}obe borders since 1960, partly thanks to the local farmers' ancient knowledge of irrigation techniques. {I}t requires an investment of capital to buy fertilizers, pesticides, and gasoline for the motor pumps. {T}his farming system may not only provide high incomes, but it also promotes inequality between men and women on the one hand and on the other hand, between poor farmers, who must borrow money and who have to sell their harvest immediately, and those who are able to store their products and wait for the best prices. {T}he {M}ober of {B}osso were able to adapt to rapid changes in the level of the {L}ake firstly without public intervention due to their long-lasting pluriactivity. {H}owever, their ability to cope with stronger changes induced either by climate or by large projects aiming at restoring high {L}ake {C}had levels should be carefully monitored.},
  keywords = {{C}limate change ; {L}ake {C}had ; {A}daptation ; {F}lood-retreat farming ; {F}ishing ; {U}bangi river deviation},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{R}egional {E}nvironmental {C}hange},
  volume = {12},
  numero = {3},
  pages = {507--521},
  ISSN = {1436-3798},
  year = {2012},
  DOI = {10.1007/s10113-011-0267-0},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010057120},
}