The first attempts at rice growing in Camargue date back to the 16th century. They aimed at desalinizing the land but failed in bringing the necessary quantity of freshwater. Other subsequent attempts were unsuccessful because of malaria, which was then raging in the region, and of the sufficient production of the colonies. The food shortage and the interruption of the colonial supplies during the Second World War, however, allowed the development of rice cultivation in Camargue supported by the Marshall Plan. It thus increased from 618 acres (250 ha) in 1942 to 2,470 acres (1,000 ha) in 1945, 32,124 acres (13,000 ha) in 1955, and 79,070 acres (32,000 ha) in 1961 with a quadrupled average yield.