HYDRO-AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND RICE FARMING RENEWAL IN THE DIOULOULOU WATERSHED, SENEGAL

Although sometimes produced on a small scale, rice is a major strategic commodity in the Senegalese government's public policy options. For several years, investments in hydro-agricultural infrastructure have been made by the State for the development of rice cultivation in Lower Casamance, which is facing the effects of climate change and rice labour shortages. The objective of this study is to analyze rice land reclamation strategies in the Diouloulou watershed. The study was mainly based on individual and group interviews with farmers (heads of households), structures (state or not) that evolve in the field of rice cultivation, farmers' organizations, rice farmers, village chiefs and mayors of the communes that polarize the Diouloulou watershed. The results show that for several years now, initiatives for the development of rice-growing land in the Diouloulou watershed have been underway. These include the installation of anti-salt dikes and micro dams, the introduction of mechanization, reforestation of mangroves, and the improvement of plots by organic fertilizer and access to inputs. Despite these efforts, there has been a gradual reduction in the area of rice that can be cultivated in the Diouloulou watershed and, in turn, a decline in production. This is linked to environmental constraints (salinization, acidification and silting), socio-economic constraints (inefficient management of hydro-agricultural structures, low manpower, supervision of producers, etc.) and agronomic constraints (low mechanization, limited access to inputs and motorized machinery, linked to lack of financial resources). Today, most of the valleys in the Diouloulou watershed are underexploited