Soil Restoration (DRS)

Soil restoration — known in French as Défense et Restauration des Sols (DRS) — is one of the most important technical activities for volunteers in Niger. Degraded, hardpan fields can be brought back to productivity using simple techniques like zai holes, rock lines, and organic matter. This unit covers the vocabulary and phrases needed to teach and discuss DRS with farmers.

Key Vocabulary

Zarma	English	French
gangani	hardpan	la cuirasse
gusu	hole	le trou
tondi	rock / stone	la pierre
labu	soil	le sol
hari	water	l’eau
birji	manure	le fumier
du	millet chaff	la balle de mil
zibi	garbage / dirt / organic matter	les ordures
fansi	to dig	creuser
sundu	to soak in	tremper
kayi	to stop	arrêter
dan	to put in	mettre
furo	to enter	entrer
halassi	to protect	protéger
batta	line / row	la ligne
tasi	sandy soil	le sol sablonneux
botogo	clay soil	le sol argileux
pella	shovel	la pelle
jiga	pickaxe	la pioche
kalma	hoe	la houe

Sample Phrases

Zarma	English
Hala ni fari tun bene, ni ma sintin hala bene nda gusey ga ka ganda.	If your field slopes, start digging holes at the top.
Fansi gusu fo ne.	Dig a hole here.
Ni ma dan birji gusu kulu ra.	You should put manure in each hole.
Ni ma gusu sinji nan kan hari si hin ga bisa bindo ra.	Place holes so water doesn’t pass between them.
Gusu kulu ga hima ga te santimeti waranza hnka kuyan da santimeti waranza hinka faalanja.	Each hole should be about 20 cm deep and 20 cm wide.
Hari naaru waato, a ga furo gusu ra ka sundu labu ra.	When it rains, water enters the hole and soaks into the soil.
Tondi batta ga hari kayi ka dan labu ra.	A rock line stops water and puts it into the soil.
Gangani labu — hari si hin ga sundu a ra. Gusey ga gayan.	Hardpan soil — water can’t soak into it. Holes help.
Ni ma dan birji nda du nda zibi gusu ra.	Put manure, chaff, and organic matter in the hole.
Jiiri fo banda, labu ga boriyandi.	After one year, the soil improves.

Dialogue 1 — Explaining DRS to a Farmer

Speaker	Zarma	English
Volunteer	Ni fari labu mate no?	How is your field’s soil?
Farmer	A si bo. Gangani no. Hari naaru waato, a ga zuru bene hinne.	It’s not good. It’s hardpan. When it rains, water just runs off the top.
Volunteer	Dabari go no kan ga hin ga gayan. Gusey fansiyan.	There’s a technique that can help. Digging holes.
Farmer	Gusey? Ifo se?	Holes? Why?
Volunteer	Ni ga fansi gusey fari ra. Gusu kulu — santimeti waranza hinka kuyan. Ni ga dan birji nda du a ra. Hari naaru waato, hari ga furo gusu ra ka sundu labu ra.	You dig holes in the field. Each hole — about 20 cm deep. You put manure and chaff in it. When it rains, water enters the hole and soaks into the soil.
Farmer	Nda gusey hinne?	Just with holes?
Volunteer	Tondi batta mo ga gayan. Ni ga tondi sinji batta fo ra fari njiryo. Hari ga kayi tondi do ka sundu labu ra.	Rock lines also help. You place rocks in a line across the field. Water stops at the rocks and soaks into the soil.
Farmer	Goyo beeri no.	That’s a lot of work.
Volunteer	Haalli. Amma jiiri fo banda, ni fari ga boriyandi. Ni ga du hayni ka bo.	True. But after one year, your field improves. You’ll get more millet.

Dialogue 2 — In the Field

Speaker	Zarma	English
Volunteer	Kala iri sintin. Fansi gusu fo ne.	Let’s begin. Dig a hole here.
Farmer	Takaa ne?	Like this?
Volunteer	Oho. Amma a kuyan ma tonton kayna. Santimeti waranza hinka kuyan.	Yes. But make it a little deeper. Twenty centimeters deep.
Farmer	Sohon?	Now?
Volunteer	Oho. Ni ma dan birji a ra. Sohon fansi gusu fo ne — bataray santimeti capanzu hinza.	Yes. Put manure in it. Now dig another hole here — spacing about 80 centimeters.
Farmer	Ay ga faham. Gusu boobey ga hari haggoy fari ra.	I understand. Many holes will hold water in the field.
Volunteer	Haalli! Nda kaydea kaa, ni ga di farq beeri.	Exactly! When the rainy season comes, you’ll see a big difference.