1913-14 - Severe drought triggers widespread famine across the Sahel region and Sudan.

1972-75 - Famine across the Sahel region claims more than 600,000 lives.

1984-85 - Famine across the Sahel region

November 2004 - Niger government appeals for international aid, citing grain deficit of 223,500 tonnes and pasture shortage of 4.6 million tonnes.

2005
January 2005 - WFP issues emergency appeal for $16 million for food crisis response.

Jan-July - Governments of Mali and Burkina Faso begin free food distributions. Authorities in Niger announce subsidised cereal sales.

July - Dramatic images of starving children appear in BBC news reports.

July - International aid operation gets under way in Niger and surrounding countries.

July - Niger government permits free food distributions.

August - WFP triples emergency appeal to $57 million.

September - Farmers in Niger begin to harvest crops, prices of grain begin to fall.

December - UN officials, donors, politicians and humanitarian agencies meet in Dakar, Senegal, to discuss how to minimise poverty and hunger in the Sahel region.

2006
April - Lean season begins in Niger.

April 4 - Niger says it will deny accreditation to foreign journalists who report alleged food shortages.

April 22 - Government figures show outbreak of bird flu in Niger driving up food prices.

July to August - Rains start later than usual.

September - Food security outlook improves, despite late start to rains. Above-average cereal harvests anticipated, but localized food insecurity persists in Niger and Chad.