At the epicenter of a hunger crisis in West Africa's Sahara Desert region, Niger is in desperate need of food aid for nearly 8 million people — more than half the country's population. Yet a cash-strapped U.N. food aid agency has had to make a difficult choice: For now, only children younger than 2 and their families will be fed.

Five years after the last major emergency in Niger, the nation is again stalked by hunger and starvation. A crippling drought has decimated harvests, and seasonal flooding is hampering relief efforts.