Agriculture in Morocco: After the Elections, Small Farmers Await Answers to Water Stress Challenges

As the upcoming electoral deadlines approach, agriculture once again emerges as one of the most sensitive issues within the Moroccan economy. Beneath the surface of export performance and large agricultural projects lies another reality: that of small farmers who face challenges such as water scarcity, rising costs, climate variability, and unstable incomes. The next government team, particularly the future Minister of Agriculture, will be scrutinized for its ability to transform public policies into concrete solutions for rural areas.

### Agriculture: An Issue That Cannot Wait

In Morocco, agriculture is not just about production figures, fruit and vegetable exports, or significant investments. It is also a vital source of income and employment in rural territories.

However, for several years, the sector has been operating in a profoundly disrupted environment. A succession of drought years has placed the issue of water at the forefront of all concerns. The rainfall deficit is no longer just a temporary phenomenon; it compels a rethink of production models, crop choices, and water resource management.

In this context, farmers will closely watch the upcoming elections and the government’s ensuing directions.

### Small Farmers on the Front Lines

For large farms with financial means, effective irrigation systems, or easier access to funding, adaptation remains challenging but feasible.

For small farmers, however, the room for maneuver is much more limited. One poor harvest can directly translate to a drop in family income. The costs of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, fuel, and electricity strain their finances. When water becomes scarce, the situation becomes even more complicated.

Thus, the question for the next government will not be whether to support agriculture, but rather how to better target that support.

Small farmers specifically expect simpler access to financing, enhanced technical support, improved coverage against climate risks, and mechanisms to reduce their vulnerability to price fluctuations.

### The Future Minister of Agriculture: Confronted with the Water Challenge

One of the heaviest files awaiting the future minister will likely be water management.

For several years, Morocco has made significant investments in dams, irrigation, seawater desalination, and the reuse of treated wastewater. However, merely multiplying these infrastructures does not resolve the issues around the equitable distribution and utilization of water resources.

The real question will revolve around what kind of agriculture Morocco can sustainably maintain in a country increasingly constrained by water availability. The debate could gradually shift from a focus on yield to a focus on yield per cubic meter of water consumed.

In other words: produce more, but with less water.

Such a transformation will require investments in localized irrigation, digital irrigation management, the selection of crops suited to climatic conditions, and especially support for farmers who will need to modify their practices.

Should certain crops be reconsidered? This is one of the most sensitive topics.

Some agricultural productions targeted at national and international markets hold significant economic value. Yet, in certain areas, their water consumption is increasingly under scrutiny.

For the next government, the challenge will be to find a balance among multiple imperatives: preserving agricultural incomes, maintaining exports, ensuring a stable supply for the domestic market, and protecting a limited water resource.

The focus will not merely be on producing more but determining where to produce, what to produce, and how much water to use.

### Food Sovereignty at the Heart of the Debate

The years of drought have also rekindled a strategic question: that of food sovereignty.

Morocco remains dependent on imports for several agricultural products, notably cereals, whose domestic production is heavily reliant on rainfall conditions.

The next government will have to navigate a dilemma: should it prioritize water-intensive crops that generate value and employment, or should it redirect resources toward essential food productions for the population?

There is no straightforward answer to this equation. However, the debate should occupy a significant place in the agricultural policies of the next legislative term.

### Between “Generation Green” and a New Phase

The forthcoming government team will also inherit the results of the “Generation Green 2020-2030” strategy, launched to further transform the agricultural sector.

This strategy notably prioritized human elements, the emergence of a new generation of farmers, and the modernization of value chains.

However, the next phase must be evaluated against a backdrop that has drastically changed: climate change, water stress, rising input costs, evolving international markets, and pressure on purchasing power.

The question will be whether existing measures should simply continue, be strengthened, or be redirected.

### The Issues of Intermediaries and Marketing

Alongside water, another recurring issue in agricultural discussions is marketing.

Between the producer and the consumer, the supply chain can involve several intermediaries. When prices rise in markets, producers may not necessarily benefit from these increases.

For small farmers, improving marketing could be just as crucial as increasing production.

Cooperatives, organized markets, marketing platforms, agro-food transformation, and contracts with distributors could be avenues to better valorize production at its source.

### Land, Financing, and Generational Renewal

The next minister will also need to address less media-friendly but foundational issues: agricultural land, access to credit, agricultural insurance, mechanization, and generational renewal.

The exodus of youth from rural areas raises a fundamental question: Who will farm the land tomorrow?

Moroccan agriculture will need a new generation of agricultural entrepreneurs skilled in new technologies, water management, processing, and commercial circuits.

However, attracting youth to agriculture requires that it can offer sufficiently solid economic prospects.

### A Roadmap to Write Post-Elections

As elections approach, farmers are therefore looking for less grand declarations and more precise answers.

What price should be set for agricultural water?
Which crops should be prioritized in drought-stricken regions?
How can small farmers be protected from poor harvests?
How can access to financing be facilitated?
How can the burden of intermediaries be reduced?
How can agricultural income be made more stable?
And above all, how can we build an agriculture capable of functioning with a sustainably limited water resource?

These are just a few of the questions the next government will need to address.

For the true challenge of Moroccan agriculture is no longer merely about producing more. It is about creating a model capable of sustainable production with less water while allowing small farmers to earn a dignified livelihood from their work.

This is likely the key area where the next agricultural policy in Morocco will be evaluated, rather than through electoral slogans.