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Squaring the circle: Agricultural intensification vs. water conservation in Morocco

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  • Molle, François
  • Tanouti, Oumaima

Abstract

Drip irrigation is widely promoted as a means of saving water. In Morocco, where the current annual overdraft of aquifers is around 1 billion m3, drip has been promoted, with subsidies as high as 100%, as a means of both raising productivity and rural incomes and ‘saving’ over one billion of m3. The paper shows that in the conditions of Morocco, drip tends to be associated with higher crop density, a shift to more water-intensive crops, and the reuse of 'saved water' to expand cultivated areas, resulting in higher water consumption. The Green Morocco Plan not only subsidizes conversion to drip but also the expansion of intensive farming, with an impact on water resources opposite to what is announced. We evidence contradictions in official discourses and policies and show how current policies undermine the resilience of irrigated agriculture to extreme drought events. Planning is carried out based on illusory local savings, disregards climate change projections, and runs against hydrologic realities that should be better accounted for through more elaborate water budgets.

Suggested Citation

  • Molle, François & Tanouti, Oumaima, 2017. "Squaring the circle: Agricultural intensification vs. water conservation in Morocco," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 170-179.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:192:y:2017:i:c:p:170-179
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2017.07.009
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    9. Zineb Moumen & Najiba El Amrani El Idrissi & Manuela Tvaronavičienė & Abderrahim Lahrach, 2019. "Water security and sustainable development," Post-Print hal-02342701, HAL.
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    14. Zhou, Xinyao & Zhang, Yongqiang & Sheng, Zhuping & Manevski, Kiril & Andersen, Mathias N. & Han, Shumin & Li, Huilong & Yang, Yonghui, 2021. "Did water-saving irrigation protect water resources over the past 40 years? A global analysis based on water accounting framework," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).
    15. Chen, Huazhou & Chen, An & Xu, Lili & Xie, Hai & Qiao, Hanli & Lin, Qinyong & Cai, Ken, 2020. "A deep learning CNN architecture applied in smart near-infrared analysis of water pollution for agricultural irrigation resources," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    16. Mateos, Luciano & dos Santos Almeida, Alexsandro Claudio & Frizzone, José Antônio & Lima, Sílvio Carlos Ribeiro Vieira, 2018. "Performance assessment of smallholder irrigation based on an energy-water-yield nexus approach," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 176-186.
    17. El Bilali, Ali & Taleb, Abdeslam & Brouziyne, Youssef, 2021. "Groundwater quality forecasting using machine learning algorithms for irrigation purposes," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    18. Fei, Rilong & Xie, Mengyuan & Wei, Xin & Ma, Ding, 2021. "Has the water rights system reform restrained the water rebound effect? Empirical analysis from China's agricultural sector," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    19. Nassif, Marie-Helene & Tawfik, Mohamed, 2022. "Toward a more harmonious planning and governance of agricultural water reuse: guidelines, practices and obstacles," IWMI Books, Reports H051744, International Water Management Institute.
    20. Ahmad Hamidov & Ulan Kasymov & Kakhramon Djumaboev & Carsten Paul, 2022. "Rebound Effects in Irrigated Agriculture in Uzbekistan: A Stakeholder-Based Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-15, July.
    21. El Bilali, Ali & Taghi, Youssef & Briouel, Omar & Taleb, Abdeslam & Brouziyne, Youssef, 2022. "A framework based on high-resolution imagery datasets and MCS for forecasting evaporation loss from small reservoirs in groundwater-based agriculture," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    22. Sebastian Lieder & Christoph Schröter-Schlaack, 2021. "Smart Farming Technologies in Arable Farming: Towards a Holistic Assessment of Opportunities and Risks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-20, June.
    23. Nouri, Milad & Homaee, Mehdi & Pereira, Luis S. & Bybordi, Mohammad, 2023. "Water management dilemma in the agricultural sector of Iran: A review focusing on water governance," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).

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