Neem Pesticide & Organic Solutions

Pesticides are expensive and often unavailable in rural Niger. Fortunately, effective organic pest control can be made from locally available materials. This unit covers neem-based pesticide preparation and other traditional insecticide solutions that volunteers can teach to farmers and gardeners.

Neem Pesticide Vocabulary

Zarma	English	French
milia nya	neem tree	le margousier
koptey	leaves	les feuilles
dumiizey	seeds / fruit	les graines / fruits
ji	oil	l’huile
safari	pesticide / insecticide	le pesticide
kongu jakte	palm frond	la palme
habirji	traditional broom	le balai traditionnel
fattu	bitter	amer
nin	ripe	mûr
hagay	to sift	tamiser
kokoso	to strain	filtrer
duru	to pound	piler
margante	to mix	mélanger
dan	to put in	mettre dans
saabu	soap	le savon

Neem Seed Pesticide — Instructions

Neem seeds contain a natural insecticide that is effective against many garden pests. Here is how to prepare it:

Step	Zarma	English
1	Maa milia dumiizey kan nin.	Collect ripe neem seeds.
2	Dumiizey duru humburu ra.	Pound the seeds in a mortar.
3	Dan haabu hari liitar cindi ra.	Put the powder in ten liters of water.
4	Ma a naŋ a ma goro cino fo.	Let it sit for one night.
5	Subbaahi, ni ma kokoso a tamay ra.	In the morning, strain it through a sifter.
6	Dan saabu kayna a ra ka margante.	Add a little soap and mix.
7	Ni ma a dan dumareyze boŋ.	Apply it on the vegetables.

Neem leaf tea can also be made by soaking crushed neem leaves in water overnight and straining the next morning.

Neem Pesticide — Key Phrases

Zarma	English
Milia dumiize safari no kan ga hin ga konney wii.	Neem seed is a pesticide that can kill insects.
A si boro hasarandi, a ga konney hinne wii.	It doesn’t harm people; it only kills insects.
Ni ma dan a dumareyze boŋ juma kulu.	Apply it on vegetables every week.
Hari naaru banda, ni ma ye ka dan a.	After rain, you should reapply it.

Dialogue — Tobacco-Soap-Pepper Insecticide

Hama visits Boureima’s garden and notices an insect problem.

Speaker	Zarma	English
Hama	Boureima! Ni kali dumareyze si bo. Konney ga i ŋwa.	Boureima! Your garden vegetables don’t look good. Insects are eating them.
Boureima	Ay bay. Amma ay sinda safari dayyan nooru.	I know. But I don’t have money to buy pesticide.
Hama	Safari go no kan ni ga hin ga te ni boŋ se.	There’s a pesticide you can make yourself.
Boureima	Takaa?	How?
Hama	Ni ga ba taaba nda saabu nda tonka nda haari.	You need tobacco, soap, hot pepper, and kerosene.
Boureima	Hay wey, ay gonda i kulu.	Those things — I have them all.
Hama	Ni ma taaba duru ka dan hari ra. Dan saabu kayna nda tonka duru. Margante kulu binde. Dan haari kayna a ra.	Pound tobacco and put it in water. Add a little soap and crushed hot pepper. Mix it all together. Add a little kerosene.
Boureima	Sohon?	Then what?
Hama	Ma a naŋ a ma goro cino fo. Subbaahi ni ma kokoso a ka dan dumareyze boŋ.	Let it sit overnight. In the morning, strain it and apply it on the vegetables.
Boureima	A ga konney wii?	Does it kill insects?
Hama	Oho! Taaba nda tonka ga konney wii. Saabu ga safari kaŋ dumareyze boŋ ka naŋ a ma goyo waate gumo. Haari mo ga gayan.	Yes! Tobacco and pepper kill insects. Soap helps the pesticide stick on the vegetables so it works longer. Kerosene also helps.
Boureima	Baasi si no. Ay ga te a suba. Godji beeri, Hama.	No problem. I’ll make it tomorrow. Thank you very much, Hama.