Is small beautiful ? L’irrigation dans le delta du fleuve Sénégal, une question de taille

Is small beautiful? Irrigation in the Senegal River Delta: a question of size Description of the subject. The debate on the relationship between farm size and production results is long-standing, but not yet settled. In Senegal, this debate is fueled by the fact that recent governments have tended to favor large-scale irrigated farms, whereas the first perimeters allocated were very small plots. Objectives. This article helps to identify, in an area where there are both large and small farms, which type of farm produces the greatest level of production and has the best returns. Method. A survey was conducted among 326 households of rice farmers in the communes of Diama and Ross Béthio, located in the Senegal River delta. Results. Smaller farms have higher yields, but the overall income of small farms is too low. Larger rice farms achieve lower yields, but provide sufficient income for their farmers to live on and run the farm. According to our surveys, production costs are the main factor explaining yields among the rice farmers surveyed. Small-scale farmers incur relatively high production costs to maximize their profit, whereas large-scale farmers limit production costs to obtain yields that are still acceptable for a decent farm income. Conclusions. To better fight poverty and achieve rice self-sufficiency, agricultural policies should enable small-scale farmers to capture new investments and encourage large-scale producers to invest more in rice farming to increase their yields and profits.