Morocco > Sustainable improvement of the agricultural sector performance

CONTEXT

Ghassate municipality is part of Ouarzazate Province. It covers 80,000 ha but the utilized agricultural area is limited to 1,800 ha.  

Farming is family-run and the farms are mostly very small: 98% are less than 2 ha and 50% are less than 0.5 ha. The plots are sometimes very fragmented. Mixed cropping systems (arboriculture, market gardening, forage cultivation, etc.) – associated with livestock farming – are implemented. Families have very little control over techniques to cope with the difficult production context: limited productive resources (water and soil in particular), high sanitary pressure (especially in arboriculture), and severe climatic hazards. Access to quality inputs remains insufficient. Economically, most families lack economic control over their activities and are disconnected from markets. At the socio-cultural level, illiteracy (nearly 72% in the town) and lack of vocational training are particularly marked, especially among women. 

It is in this context that Agrisud and its partners have been operating since 2013. After an initial work focused on upgrading farms to secure the supply of quality products, the project now focuses on creating economic activities downstream of production.

OBJECTIVES

• Improving the living conditions of the population, in particular their food security, and fighting poverty by promoting the development of economic activities 
• Ensuring the agroecological transition of Ghassate municipality territory 

RESULTS

• 750 professionalized family farms 
• 12 farm service enterprises 
• 1 multi-stakeholder consultation framework established

KEY PROJECT INFORMATION