De ‘Saoudi’ au ‘Darfour’: L’histoire d’un marais au Rwanda

In this article, we present the case study of a marshland, located in the Southern Province of Rwanda, to illustrate the way in which rural policies have impacted upon the allocation of land for agricultural production, and upon the well-being of the rural population. We argue how the introduction of collective cultivation – coordinated by cooperatives – in combination with a policy of monocropping of commercially-oriented crop types, have not improved local living conditions. On the contrary, the technical and organisational aspects of the reorganisation of the marshland have introduced additional barriers upon smallholder farmers and particularly upon the poorer categories among them. We find that the reorganisation of the marshland has contributed to the replication and the reinforcement of polarisation between rich and poor, both within and outside of the marshland arena.