The Agriculture Cycle

Agriculture is the backbone of life in Niger, with nearly all rural Nigeriens engaged in subsistence farming. This unit covers the agricultural cycle from rainy season planting through harvest, including tools, techniques, and the vocabulary needed to discuss farming in Zarma.

Seasons

Zarma	English	French
kaydea	rainy season (June–September)	la saison pluies
heyni wiyan	harvest (October)	la récolte
jaw waate	cold season (November–February)	la saison froide
heyni waate	hot season (March–May)	la saison sèche

Tools

Zarma	English
torko	donkey/ox cart
makasu	hand-held millet knife
kalma	hoe
kumbu	long-handled cultivator
adda	machete
jiga	pick
korfo	rope / cord

Rainy Season — Field Preparation & Planting

Zarma	English	French
fari	field	le champ
fari kaaray	field clearing	le défrichement
fari gaaray	field preparation	la préparation du champ
duma	to plant / to sow	semer
dumiizey	seeds	les graines
hayni	millet	le mil
haamo	sorghum	le sorgho
dunabu	peanuts	les arachides
weyney	cowpeas	le niébé

Planting, Weeding & Thinning

Zarma	English
duma	to plant
dogu	to thin
fari gaaray	to weed
daabu	to cover seeds
guusu	hole for planting
bataray	spacing
yanje	hoe weeding
gumo	first weeding
karsu	second weeding

Harvest Vocabulary

Zarma	English
heyni wiyan	harvest
makasu	small harvest knife
boko	bundle of millet heads
jeeni	head of millet
barma	granary
tanda	hangar / drying rack

Abdou’s Story — A Season in the Fields

Abdou is a farmer in a village near Niamey. When the first rains come in June, he prepares his field. He clears the brush and old stalks, then waits for a good rain to soften the ground.

Zarma	English
Waato kan hari sintina ka naaru, Abdou sintin ga gaaray a fari.	When the rains begin to fall, Abdou begins to prepare his field.
A na saajo kaaray, a na kwaari kulu ton.	He cleared the bush and burned all the old stalks.
Hari maa naaru ka bo, a na dumiizey duma.	When enough rain had fallen, he planted his seeds.
A na hayni duma da haamo da dunabu da weyney.	He planted millet, sorghum, peanuts, and cowpeas.
Fari ga ba yanje hinka hal hinza kaydea ra.	The field needs two to three weedings during rainy season.
Abdou nda a windi borey kulu na goyo te binde.	Abdou and all his family worked together.
Oktoobar heyni wiyan no. Abdou nda a izey koy fari ra da makasu ga wiyan.	October is harvest. Abdou and his children went to the field with knives to harvest.

Cultural Note — “Alfaga Kambe”

When a millet head splits and the grain inside becomes visible, people call this alfaga kambe — literally “the marabout’s hand,” because it resembles an open hand raised in prayer. This is a sign that the millet is nearly ready for harvest. When you see alfaga kambe in the fields, the community knows that the long hungry season is almost over and abundance is near.