In Oueidamour, women wait to work on half-lines, Zaï (holes to facilitate water infiltration and increase soil moisture) for future crops and help prevent drought. The project is financed by the European Union.
Located in the semi-desertic Sahel region of West Africa, Mauritania is among the world's least developed food-deficit countries, ranked 159 out of 187 countries on the 2011 UNDP Human Development Index. With 42 percent of the population living below the poverty line and with vast desert areas and scarce water resources, Mauritania ranks amongst the poorest countries in the world.