Prossimità e lontananza nei grandi progetti di sviluppo

This paper analyzes how the big development projects re-interpret the concepts of proximity and distance in their strategy of action. It describes the tools used to tackle the remoteness of the involved territories. The article outlines the results of these projects, which are often different than expectations, just because the different meanings given to proximity and distance. It investigates how today local actors in their territories are trying to generate a proximity "from the bottom". The case studies concern the irrigation schemes in the Sahelo-Sudanese belt, particularly in the area around Lake Chad.