“Moroccan agriculture must reinvent itself”

In an arid to semi-arid country, where more than 80% of the total surface receives on average less than 400 millimeters per year, any rain is welcome, even if it can sometimes cause damage. Morocco, a country structurally in a situation of water shortage, is in perpetual search of water. The rains at the start of 2025, although insufficient, gave rise to fleeting hope.

However, the reality on the ground is much more nuanced. The main cereal-producing regions, such as Abda, Doukkala, Chaouia, Zaër and Saïss as well as the Gharb, present a landscape that is not very comforting: land that is sometimes still bare, deficient plant cover and crops in distress. The combination of unfavorable climatic factors and the episode of globalized inflation accentuates the vulnerability of the agricultural sector and endangers cereal production, the pillar of the national food system.

It is still too early to draw definitive conclusions on the outcome of the 2024/2025 agricultural campaign. However, the low rate of cultivation of arable land, due to a context of very random and scattered rains throughout the fall of 2024, already suggests limited final production. The consequences of this situation go beyond the simple framework of cereal farming.

Indeed, the production of rainfed fodder (oats, barley, berseem, etc.) and the regeneration of natural rangelands, essential for livestock farming, are also compromised. This scenario could even further precipitate the end of Morocco’s self-sufficiency in animal products: red meat and dairy products.

Finding solutions to these challenges is an immense task. Faced with the climate emergency, the transformation of Moroccan agriculture has become an absolute necessity. A national debate is needed to define a new paradigm capable of guaranteeing more resilient and sustainable agriculture. It is about rethinking agricultural practices, promoting the agroecological transition and no longer considering monoculture in agro-export logic as the model to follow.

This also involves rethinking water management methods in the diversity of its sources, giving absolute priority to the recovery of rain. We must also stop considering irrigation as the solution to the lack of water, aid and technical support should focus more on rain-fed agriculture.

In addition, the systematic coupling of crops and livestock must once again become essential axes to establish the country’s food sovereignty. The challenges are therefore real and pressing: advocating sustainable food systems while preserving natural resources and working to create sustainable jobs in rural areas.

To face the challenges of climate change, agriculture must adapt and innovate. New technologies, such as remote sensing and Artificial Intelligence, can constitute tools for optimizing water use. However, at the same time, it is essential to invest in research to develop plant varieties and animal breeds better adapted to water shortage conditions. This systemic approach, which combines technological innovation and genetic improvement, will not only guarantee the country’s food sovereignty, but also strengthen its economy and preserve its natural resources.

Obviously, these are programs to be established over the long term, using inclusive approaches involving public authorities, farmers and the inter-professional organizations that represent them as well as agronomic teaching and research institutions. These are research patterns spanning several decades. These schemes must also be applied in the diversity of agroecological territories in which our country abounds, namely: Atlantic plains, foothills, high mountains, oases, etc.

Morocco, thanks to its remarkable geographical position, is fortunate to benefit from a diversity of agro-ecological zones, which have resulted in real wealth in terms of animal genetic resources. Endemic cattle breeds such as the Blonde d’Oulmès-Zaër (central Morocco) or the Tidili (foothills of the High Atlas) may prove to be interesting gene reservoirs for thinking about the animal resources of the future, adapted to the conditions of climate change. .

To do this, it is important to ensure their protection, avoiding involving them in systematic crossbreeding with imported breeds. In addition, we must think about long-term selection programs, in order to capitalize on their assets: low weight, hardiness, ability to resist thermal stress and lack of food, etc. As I mentioned previously, these must be programs planned over the long term, and benefiting from systematic support from public authorities (establishment of research stations, performance monitoring programs, etc.), while involving breeders. concerned, of course in the territories where these breeds evolve.

Agriculture and livestock constitute an essential pillar of the Moroccan economy. These activities represent between 11 and 14% of GDP, depending on the year, and employ more than 30% of the active population. These figures demonstrate the importance of this sector in creating wealth and providing jobs, particularly in rural areas. Beyond its direct contribution to GDP and employment, Moroccan agriculture exerts a considerable influence on the entire economy.

The good performance of the agricultural sector has a positive impact on economic growth, household consumption and the morale of the population as a whole. Conversely, poor agricultural seasons, like those we have experienced in recent years, have harmful consequences on the entire economy and can generate a feeling of pessimism.