"Since the crisis began in 2002, the rural population has suffered increasing deprivation," said Elise Bjerkrheim, head of the ICRC's office in Korhogo. "We hope that this distribution will help farming families meet their basic needs."

Together with volunteers from the Red Cross Society of Côte d'Ivoire, the ICRC has supplied 68 tonnes of maize and rice seed and 434 tonnes of fertilizer to 6,238 households in 21 villages in the department of Odiénné, 13 villages in the department of Korhogo, 9 villages in the department of Tengrela, 19 villages in the department of Boundiali, 12 villages in the department of Ferkéssedougou, 13 villages in the department of Bouna and 18 villages in the department of M'Bahiakro. The distribution, which began in April and will run until the end of June, has been timed so that farmers can plant their seed early on in the rainy season. The ICRC will monitor the situation until the harvest is brought in so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of the supplies.

"Life is very hard right now. Since the crisis began, prices have soared. Just surviving is a problem," said Seydou Ouattara, head of the farmers' group in Nazinékaha village, in the department of Korhogo. "We can no longer afford fertilizer. But now, with the ICRC's assistance, we'll be able to double our harvest," said Soro Adama, a farmer in Kafigué. "It's the first time an international organization has helped us like this," he added.

"This used to be a prosperous region. Now, farmers merely survive," said ICRC agronomist Christian Gnéba, who helped survey the situation prior to the distribution. "Because of the lack of fertilizer and seed, agricultural production in the north has dropped by half," said Hermann Schall, ICRC coordinator for economic security in Côte d'Ivoire. "Even though farmers can get more for their crops than before, they can't grow enough to get by without assistance."

The purpose of the ICRC's distribution, like those it carried out in other villages in 2006 and 2007, is to ensure food security for rural households identified by the ICRC as especially vulnerable.

"The Red Cross has been helping the population since the beginning of the fighting," said Kyali Ouattara, head of Ferkéssedougou canton. "God willing, it will continue to do so until the end of the crisis."