Abstract EN:

Decades ago, Senegal began to modernize its rural regions in order to attain food self-sufficiency and to find a place in the global economy. The hydro-agricultural development in the valley of the Senegal river is to be read within this overall aim and it brings to light the different rationales followed by the players in the field, i. E. , the state, rural or peasant organizations, lending organisms, ngos. . . In order to come to a clearer understanding of each of these partners'actions, it is necessary to trace the actions back to the rationale which governs them. Land property can then be read in terms of power and authority relationships projected onto the soil itself and onto these tracts of areas-as-resource. These areas-as-resource, which are differentiated and complementary, are governed by various judicial systems: traditional and laws, and the state's land laws. The first system derives its authority mainly from the right of prior occupancy. The toucouleure (peule) experiment shows that far from being rigid, custom can be one of the factors of change. The second is governed by the law national land which conditions the distribution of land to its being exploited. What comes to light is that the partners can see beyond their own rationales in order to come up with adapted judicial answers. How can new judicial rules for the management of renewable naturel resources be implemented in order to ensure viable and lasting development in the Sahel region ? In the societies of Sahel, forums of negotiation can contribute to the implementing of new regulation systems and lead to a negotiated development of the Sahel region.