At 65 years old, Mama Witissida, has grown rice at Gounougou in northern Cameroon since 1988. In the early years, on a scheme built by the regional agency Mission d’Études pour l’Aménagement et le Développement de la Région du Nord (MEADEN), her harvests reached seven tonnes a hectare. Then the scheme aged, water stopped arriving when the rice needed it, and yields fell, even in the fertile Bénoué Valley
In July 2026, water released from the Lagdo Reservoir filled the newly lined main canal and reached the rehabilitated 212-hectare irrigated area at Gounougou, on the right bank of the Bénoué. For farmers like Mama, it was the first season in years with water on schedule. “Seeing water flow again gives us hope. We believe we can achieve good harvests again, provide food for our families, and sell our produce in markets here and beyond,” she says.
It was also an important milestone for the World Bank Group-supported VIVA Bénoué Project, which is helping Cameroon make better use of its water resources, increase agricultural production, and create jobs in the country’s north.
Getting more water to farmers
The Lagdo Dam holds a major water reserve, but delivering that water efficiently to farms has been a longstanding challenge.
In northern Cameroon, temperatures frequently exceed 38 degrees Celsius, and dry-season humidity can fall below 20 percent. In traditional open canals, an estimated 30 to 40 percent of water can be lost through seepage and evaporation before reaching farmers’ fields.
VIVA Bénoué is addressing this in two ways. On the right bank, it is rehabilitating and extending the gravity scheme with lined canals, starting with Gounougou. On the left bank, it is laying a new network of buried, pressurized concrete pipelines, manufactured on site at Lagdo, that cut water losses to a minimum. The completed embankment dike on the left bank also protects about 9,500 people from Bénoué floods.
Rice is a priority. Cameroon imports large quantities of rice despite having the land and water to grow more. In Gounougou, farmers are already testing new varieties that will make the difference.
Tchikilabi Thomas has been farming for almost 35 years. “Before the project, production was low,” he says. “Now we have a very good rice variety that gives eight to nine tonnes a hectare. We tested and validated it ourselves in the farmer field schools.”
Building skills and creating jobs
The project is also bringing new technical skills to the region.
Cameroonian operators, quality-control technicians, and production engineers were trained to manufacture the specialized concrete pipes used in the irrigation network. Their experience will also serve future irrigation investments elsewhere in the country.
On the farms, six Water Users Associations, with 484 members, including 119 women, are being trained in water scheduling, maintenance, and fee collection.
The Ministry of Agriculture has also deployed 24 agricultural advisors, equipped with motorcycles, to work directly with farmers as the new irrigation areas become operational. An electronic voucher platform helps producers access subsidized seeds and fertilizers.
The goal is to ensure that the investment continues to serve farmers well beyond the construction phase, with local workers and organizations taking responsibility for its operation and maintenance.
