At present, irrigated crops are introduced on the banks of the Senegal river by a development agency, the SAED. In the first part of this article, the author draws up an inventory of the development of irrigated crops in this area : after a short historical analysis where he concludes that it has been a failure, the author gives the main characteristics of present irrigated crop systems into rural production units through the interrelations of irrigation systems and traditional systems (crops and cattle) on one hand and the irrigation systems and the peasant families on the other hand. The conclusion insists on the rationality of peasant choice according to the context where they are placed. Finally, a bibliography is given of the main sources underlying the article.
