Approximately 48% of Mauritanians are employed in the agriculture and livestock sectors. Favorable rainfall in 1994 allowed Mauritanian farmers to harvest 186,000 metric tons of grain, an increase of 80,000 tons over the 1993 harvest. The Mauritanian government has engaged in an irrigation project to utilize the 130,000 hectares of arable land. Most of this activity centers around the Senegal River Valley region, though at present only 30,000 hectares are in use. The U.S. Department of Commerce advises foreign investors to exploit the potential of exporting agricultural equipment. Major dam construction projects in neighboring Senegal and Mali are a significant part of this development scheme.