 Created in 1932 by the French colonial administration, the Office du Niger (ON) was the oldest and largest irrigation scheme in Sub-Saharan Africa. With a grand ambition to develop more than one million hectares over a period of 50 years, ON was expected to supply the French textile industry with a large share of its cotton needs, as well as to contribute to food security for the entire Sahelian region of the French empire with a modern and commercial rice production system.
But 50 years later, ON was far from meeting its goals. Because infrastructure was poorly maintained, one-third of the developed area was abandoned and eventually cotton production was substituted with rice paddies.
In 1997, the World Bank stepped in to help rehabilitate ON, and was soon joined by other donors. Technical assistance and an engineering project turned ON around. Average rice paddy yields tripled, and total paddy production rose to 271,000 tons in 1998 from 98,000 tons in 1988.
Farmers were also given the chance to participate in all levels of decision making—from land allocation to infrastructure maintenance, programming and management.
The project’s success attracted more farmers and in the decade between 1988 and 1998, annual net farm incomes rose significantly.
Updated: November 2003
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