Madagascar: Rehabilitation of the Rice Fields in the Lower Plains of the Betsiboka River

Promotion of water users' association in irrigated rice production

The lower Betsiboka river area has, step y step, been developed for irrigated rice production using primarily labour intensive methods. The land was partly leased to migrant farmers, partly cultivated as a private estate. After the socialist land reform movement in the mid of the 1970s most of these farms became independent entities, having an average of 1.5 ha of land, which allowed families to meet their own consumption needs. The small surplus was sold at state controlled prices The return from these farms was low and provided little incentive to farmers. Under those conditions an intensification of agricultural production on these farms using higher quality seed, mechanisation or application of fertilisers was as unprofitable as was the annual irrigation system maintenance.

From 1984 to 1989, the German financial co-operation financed a comprehensive programme aiming at the rehabilitation of the hydraulic system, i.e. the reconstruction of the main canals. From 1990 onwards, emphasis was placed on the active participation of user groups in the planning and implementation of appropriate measures to fully rehabilitate the irrigation system. Training and technical assistance is being given to foster the development of intensive agricultural production, to promote farmers' groups and initiatives and finally, to create and develop functioning structures within the private sector which are able to support the needs of the executing agency as well as the target groups in the areas of operation and maintenance of the hydraulic system, provision of agricultural credits and local and regional investments.