In Ghassate, agriculture is becoming a driver of entrepreneurship and regional transformation

In the municipality of Ghassate, in southern Morocco, the Agricultural Sector Performance Improvement Project (PAPSA) is coming to an end after nearly a decade of implementation. As IRAM conducts a final external evaluation, the results point to a profound transformation.

Beyond agricultural techniques, a new way of producing, managing, and cooperating has taken root. Here, family farms that were once fragile and precarious are now establishing themselves as true production units, capable of feeding their communities and creating value, led by women and men who now know where they are headed and how to shape their own futures. 

Building Capacity Across the Region 

Rolled out gradually since 2014, the PAPSA operates in a region characterized by significant constraints: limited resources, recurring droughts, and economic isolation. To address these challenges, the project adopted an approach that integrates farms, supply chains, and the region. 

This initiative has achieved significant scale: nearly 700 farms have received support, representing approximately 70% of the municipality’s farms. This widespread implementation is one of the project’s major achievements, creating a solid common foundation of practices and benchmarks at the local level.  

Beyond agricultural techniques, families have strengthened essential skills for managing their businesses: technical and economic monitoring, margin calculations, yield analysis, and making production decisions. This evolution marks a profound shift: farms are no longer content merely to produce; they now base their decisions on an entrepreneurial approach. 

Farms That Are More Resilient in the Face of Crises 

This increase in skills has proven crucial in a context marked by a succession of crises: the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and repeated droughts. Under these conditions, the farms receiving support have demonstrated a greater capacity to adapt. 

This resilience is based on both technical expertise and the choice of production systems. Models based on mixed cropping and livestock farming - characteristic of oasis systems - allow for the diversification of income sources and better utilization of available resources. They also help ensure production security while preserving natural resources. 

Furthermore, the gradual adoption of agroecological practices has improved yield stability and reduced vulnerability to climate-related risks. Combined with the management skills acquired, these developments give farmers greater autonomy to cope with uncertainties.

A Collective Effort for the Benefit of the Region 

Beyond individual farms, the PAPSA has helped foster a collective effort at the municipal level. Local governments, technical services, professional organizations, associations, and training providers have been mobilized around a shared project. 

This coordination resulted in the implementation of concrete and complementary actions, including hydro-agricultural developments, literacy programs, and initiatives to promote the economic and cultural value of local products.  

By simultaneously addressing productive, economic, and sociocultural dimensions, the project helped to sustainably strengthen the region’s assets. It also helped establish mechanisms for consultation among stakeholders, which are now essential for the sustainability of the initiatives undertaken. 

At the conclusion of the project, Ghassate has built a solid foundation: widely disseminated skills, more self-sufficient farms, and a collective capacity to chart appropriate development paths.   

The next steps - presentation of the final evaluation, knowledge capitalization, and dissemination - will help consolidate and share this experience. They will build on a momentum that demonstrates that by investing in women and men, in their skills, and in the coordination of stakeholders, it is possible to bring about lasting transformation in family farming… and an entire region.

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Financial partners: Agence française de développement (AFD), Laiterie de Saint-Denis-de-l'Hôtel (LSDH), Fonds L'Oréal pour les femmes, Office Régional de Mise en Valeur Agricole Ouarzazate (ORMVAO), Agrisud and partners

Implementing partners: ORMVAO, Norsys Foundation