River Basin Development: Dilemmas for Peasants and Planners

Abstract

In the Gambie River Basin, as in other parts of West Africa, the more effective utilization of the river system is seen as a key means to increase and intensify agricultural production and avoid reliance on the importation of fossil fuels. River basin development has been part of donor-proposed solutions for coping with Africa's food crisis. This paper examines how planners in West African nations are caught between the donors and their own rural populations. The dilemmas for planners revolve around how to attain the necessary outside resources and funding to construct a series of dams, and how to increase both the presence and the power of the state in the rural areas. The dilemmas for the peasantries are to keep the state at bay while using both donor and national state programs and resources to increase the income and security of rural life. To illustrate the interactions between national planners, donor agencies, and rural populations, the paper examines the Gambie River Basin Development Organization (OMVG). Four nations are represented in the OMVG: The Gambia, Guinea-Conakry, Senegal, and Guinea-Gissau.