IRRIGATION SYSTEM

Irrigation System

Irrigation System

Mali

As a landlocked country, mostly desert and subject to drought, Mali is required to manage water resources so as to give maximum benefits to its population. The Niger River and the rich green plains that cross are vital to the economy of the nation and the food supply of the population. However, the agency responsible for irrigation management, the Office Niger, dating from the colonial era and its performance did nothing but increase costs for farmers and reduce the production of rice and other staples (Itier, 2007).

Discussion

In Mali, the water becomes more and more a factor limiting the development of agriculture. The rainfall combined with a disturbance degradation of irrigated land, making control water and irrigation a priority for development the agricultural sector. With major structural adjustment policies, the socioeconomic environment of agriculture taken in new directions. This was transferred to decentralized power-making decisions in relation to the development and implementation hydro projects in agriculture.

Today, many questions are asked the conditions of withdrawal of the state and how farmer organizations s'autogèrent. But Mali is by far the country has the most soil and water resources for irrigation in the sub region West Africa. The presence of the Niger and Senegal, Mali offers an irrigation potential estimated at nearly 2.2 million more than farmland 1.8 million ha in the Niger River valley alone. In Despite these advantages, only 572,911 hectares are irrigated to date. Archaeological research has evidence that since time immemorial farmers sought to bring the water to the plains rice production in the Niger River valley through the practice of natural flooding (Jensen, 2008).

The striking feature of irrigation in Mali is its extreme concentration in the Niger River valley and along Senegal River because of the availability of floodplains and rice-growing. Management plan of water resources, in addition to Manantali Dam, four other dams exist on the Niger River and its tributaries in Mali: The Markala Dam 280 km downstream from Bamako, which can power the hydraulic system of the Office of Niger, Dam crested at Sotuba (Bamako) which supplies a small hydroelectric plant and the perimeter Banguinéda irrigated, Dam Sélingué 140 km south east of Bamako Sankarani built on a tributary of Niger feeds a hydroelectric plant, enables flow control low water and irrigation of the perimeter downstream of 1000 ha. The threshold of Talo newly built the Bani, the main Niger River, the setting will enhancement of 25,000 ha polyculture with mainly rice in controlled flooding in circles and San Bla.

The threshold of the Bani Djenne also allows equipment of some 80,000 ha for rice and livestock in Djenné. The river basin Senegal and its tributaries provide a volume annual flow of 10.5 billion m 3 against 46 billion the basin of the Niger River and its tributaries. The surface water resources unsustainable are related to seasonal runoff wintering sufficient to allow rainfall to year middle and downstream of small dams to cycle cultural and flood recession farming in ...