ABSTRACT
The irrigation potential within Senegal occurs around the nation's periphery, either along the Senegal and Faleme Rivers in the north, or in the south along the Cassamance River. Irrigation development has a long history in Senegal, having been the focus of one of France's early experiments in agricultural colonization, the unsuccessful attempt in the early 1800s to turn the delta region into an irrigated island of prosperity. The "Bakel Project" as it has come to be termed is different from the usual situation wherein an external donor assists a single major scheme from its inception. "Bakel" is the name of a small town on Senegal's eastern frontier with Mali and Mauritania, located just below the juncture of the Fal erne and Senegal Rivers and across from the Guidimaka region of Mauritania. The allocation of support effort to Senegal's irrigation looks very different depending upon whether total hectares covered or the number of perimeters assisted are used as the measure.
