Skip to main content
Home

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Main Menu

  • EROS Home
  • Image Gallery
  • Video Library
  • Earthshots
  • Remote Sensing Classroom

Earthshots

  • Earthshots
    • Rosso, Mauritania
      • Desertification
      • Irrigation
  • Download Cards
  • More Information
  • Contact Information
Earthshots Logo

Irrigation A Rosso, Mauritania story

Deserts
  1. Earthshots
  2. Rosso, Mauritania
  3. Irrigation
Description

There has been irrigation along the Senegal River in the Richard Toll, Senegal, area since the 1940s. With little dissolved salt, the quality of water in the Senegal River is generally good for irrigation. However, proper drainage and cropping schedules are needed to keep levels of alkaline content from accumulating in the root zone.

In the images, the many bright red fields are mostly sugarcane and rice, and virtually all of them are irrigated. The amount of irrigated land increased greatly in this time frame, and new irrigation canals are visible. The irrigated crops are able to grow in the dry season because they are not dependent on rainfall.

On the Mauritania side of the river, growth in agriculture is limited by poor soil quality and lack of agricultural education. Most of the country's food is imported. Since almost half of Mauritania's population lives at or below the national poverty level, the imported food is not always affordable. In 2007, the people's distress was expressed by food riots.

In the 2011–2012 growing season, the Mauritanian government began some new strategies to increase the yield and amount of crops grown. By training young farmers about agriculture, investing money into more irrigation, and introducing genetically modified crops that can survive in Mauritanian conditions, leaders of the country are hopeful that better times are to come for farming.

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

Sept. 30, 1972, Landsat 1 (path/row 220/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania

Sept. 30, 1972, Landsat 1 (path/row 220/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania

Oct. 15, 1989, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania

Oct. 15, 1989, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania

 Nov. 4, 1999, Landsat 7 (path/row 205/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania

Nov. 4, 1999, Landsat 7 (path/row 205/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania

Nov. 13, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania

Nov. 13, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania

Jan. 6, 2020, Landsat 8 (path/row 205/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania

Jan. 6, 2020, Landsat 8 (path/row 205/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania

Sept. 30, 1972, Landsat 1 (path/row 220/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania
Oct. 15, 1989, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania
 Nov. 4, 1999, Landsat 7 (path/row 205/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania
Nov. 13, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 205/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania
Jan. 6, 2020, Landsat 8 (path/row 205/49) — Irrigated fields near Rosso, Mauritania

Rosso, Mauritania Additional Imagery & Stories

Desertification
Desertification

The word desertification, if split into its roots, logically would mean the event of non-desert land becoming desert, but it is not quite so simple. D...

Read More
  • DOI Privacy Policy
  • Legal
  • Accessibility
  • Site Map
  • Contact USGS

  • U.S. Department of the Interior
  • DOI Inspector General
  • White House
  • E-gov
  • No Fear Act
  • FOIA