PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 10 Examples of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) in wetland development in Guinea Bissau

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 10 Examples of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) in wetland development in Guinea Bissau Koos Neefjes Introduction Mapping of hydrological features Small parts of the swampy areas along The bolanha of Quide-Com is 70 ha, including estuaries in West Africa that are covered with canals and dikes. In 1987 farmers paid a mangrove forests have been reclaimed and private company to dam an estuary with developed for rice cultivation by farmers for machines, and thereby enlarged their bolanha. centuries. They build small dikes and dams to Most of the mangrove is cleared and it is stop the tidal seawater from inundating the divided in plots by bunds and small dikes. The lands and to capture the fresh water runoff dam is in good condition, but the farmers had from the higher areas. Wooden tide gates are to install a large tide gate to be able to drain installed in the dikes to drain the excess fresh excess fresh water during the rainy season. water in the rainy season. In Guinea Bissau Heavy downstream erosion of the outlet canal such traditional polders are called ` . and the dike in which the gate was installed led ...