IRRIGATION I GORGOL

closed

The Gorgol project would develop 3,620 hectares by gravity irrigation for rice, maize, sorghum, and some vegetable cultivation. The project works would comprise construction of a concrete dam (Foum el Gleita), a conveyance canal, irrigation and drainage networks, service roads, and buildings. The project would also include technical assistance, extension services, farm inputs and equipment, and the creation of 15 villages. It would be implemented by Societe Nationale pour le Developpement Rural (SONADER), a Government rural development agency established in 1975 with International Development Association (IDA) assistance. The project would form a nucleus of development in the southeastern part of the country, with an estimated three-fold increase in the present US$50 per capita income derived from agriculture. It would also bring foreign exchange benefits since its total production would represent 50 percent of the present annual import of cereals in normal years. Because the project is the first large irrigation scheme of its kind in Mauritania, there are some risks. In particular, there may be delays in introducing new technology and in recruiting farmers and settling them. The risks are limited, however, by the adoption of a realistic pace of development, and by the measures taken to strengthen SONADER.