PALM GROVE AND GARDENS

The gardens lie beyond the hospital. Their irrigation system is unusual: small canals leading from the wells distribute water to all the plots. Note the outrigger wells, or chadoufs, which make it easier to draw water. Outside town, you'll find date palms, a fruit tree that has long been present in the Sahelian zone of the country. Depending on the season, you can follow the different phases of work on the trees. The Faya palm grove, formerly known as Voun, is based on the extensive model, as the trees draw their water directly from the water table without the need for artificial irrigation. This system also allows the nomads to devote little time to farming. On the other hand, some palm groves follow the intensive model, with sedentary farmers drawing water from the chadoufs to hydrate the trees and gardens they have planted in their shade, as is the case here. Dates are harvested in September; however, in Borkou, the most widespread date variety is the Bornow, a dry date that can be harvested as early as the end of July or dried spontaneously on the trees until September. The dates harvested in July are then assembled and dried by women on small stone or earthen drying sheds. From the age of three, a palm tree can produce from 10 to 40 kg of dates a year, over a period of around fifteen years.