All of this irrigation info is nice but worthless without a supply of irrigation supplies and further information.

An NGO furthering the cause of profitable and efficient irrigation is IDE.  I see they are now using the bucket drip kits I introduced in Mauritania.

Chapin, the maker of the bucket kit, can be contacted directly at
CHAPIN WATERMATICS INC.
740 Water St., Watertown, NY 13601
1-800-CHAPINS(242-7467) or (315)782-1170
Fax (315)782-1490
E-mail: chapin@gisco.net
Web Site: http://www.chapindrip.com

One company selling Drip products near Mauritania is Netafim, found at http://www.netafim.com
CHIMIE AFRIQUE (distributor)
P.B 3543
DAKAR
Tel: 221 320 704
Fax : 221 320 705
E-Mail: netyftex@mishkei.org.il

Be sure and check out the Micro-Irrigation Forum. I have been a member of their newslist for quite some time. It is a bit technical at times, but there are some great people there to chat with about drip irrigation.

To increase/enable agriculture, the Mauritanian government dammed the Senegal River at the Atlantic Ocean, and introduced year-round flooded agriculture to the Senegal River Basin. Some of the major problems inherent in this scheme are discussed in my story, Of Rice and Sugar Cane. 

My grandest project in Mauritania involved the introduction of the Treadle Pump, a pump that works like a stairmaster and pumps around 100 liters (~25 gallons) of water per minute.  Read the story

I met a fellow named Don Schierling of International Development Enterprises while at the 1997 International Development Conference in D.C. We started talking when I learned that IDE was strongly promoting the use of the treadle pump in Bangladesh.  I was really impressed with a new irrigation technique, cheap Drip Irrigation, that they were going to use in conjunction with the treadle pump.

See: Dividing the Waters. An article in MIT's periodical Technology Review about the severity of the water shortage to come, as well as possible preparations to prevent it.

One thing I found particularly noteworthy is that towards the end of her article, she discusses the method of irrigation developed by IDE.

Glossary

Email me

New for 6/99:
New PCVs
The Return
Plus other site enhancements

Next Page->

<-Previous Page