 |
| Gathering
rice alongside the irrigation channel |
In many parts of Mali it
is too dry to grow crops, so farmers have to bring water to the field with irrigation. In
Mali there are many kinds of irrigation. In a few areas, water is collected behind dams
which can supply fields all year round. In others, irrigation depends on the rainy season.
When the river is flooded, sluice gates are opened and the water flows into the fields
along pre-dug channels. In other places, walls are built to keep in water, or fields are
watered by hand. Often farmers have to pay to get water for their land, but it is worth
it, because otherwise they would not be able to grow anything at all. |
