The development of the San Plain under irrigated cropping (rice) occupies a large part of the population and rice cultivation plays an important role in the socio-economic development of San. Previously the San Plain was traditionally exploited by peasant farmers. It was directly inundated by floods from the river Bani. As from 1972, with insufficient floods and rain, the activities on rice cropping have been seriously curtailed. Thus to save the zone, a development project of the rice perimeter was undertaken in 1975 by the “l’Opération Riz de Ségou” under funding from EDF