The issues of the territorial development project based on irrigation in the Sourou Valley (Burkina Faso) are discussed regarding: the historical evolution and the role in the national development policies, the weak and the strong points of the project, its impact on the territorial system, some key issues of the present situation (selfsuffiency vs marketing, communitarianism vs liberalism, ecological issues, health conditions) and some scenarios of evolution, taking into consideration some international, national and local variables
