Don't let it starve

AT THE best of times, the vast, arid country of Niger, on the southern edge of the Saharan desert just north of Nigeria, struggles to feed itself. But now, after the worst locust invasion for 15 years as well as a drought, things look more ominous. The UN and international aid agencies have given warning that, with the rainy season about to begin, making food relief much harder to bring to remote areas, food shortages could turn into a real disaster unless urgent action is taken.