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Moroccan Agriculture
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Moroccan Mirages, Agrarian Dreams and deceptions, 1912-1986
Morocco’s major features of major significance in
agricultural production:
the magnitude of its mountains
its arable coastal lowlands
its exposure to the Atlantic Ocean
As a result, Morocco is able to capture
“orographic precipitation” from Atlantic storms.
Will D. Swearingen
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Two-thirds of Morocco’s agricultural production and all of its commercial production
is grown along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.
Morocco is the world’s second largest exporter of oranges.
Its yield of winter and spring cereals, legumes, beetroot, sugar cane, and oilseeds is impressive.
Olive and cork trees dot the rugged landscape of Morocco.
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Irrigation has been a godsend.
The only drawback in creating another
“California dream” is the irregularity of its
precipitation.
It is often afflicted by drought and/or locust invasions as the southwestern area of Morocco is presently experiencing (summer and early fall 2004).
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The terrain alternates between deserted, rocky stretches and intensely cultivated irrigated plots.
Where there is water, olive, fig, pomegranate and almond trees abound.
Wheat, barley, corn and a variety of truck garden vegetables also flourish in the appropriate seasons.
There is little regularity-one side of a hill will have good drainage; the other side won’t.
One slope within the perimeter of an irrigation system will flourish; the other might not reach maturity.
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Land holdings are fragmented and farmers maintain small plots in different parts of the valley.
They hedge their bets against the unpredictable weather by planting different crops on different fields or planting a different crop in between the rows.
Where no man has labored, brush and rocks bear witness to the importance of water.
Natural oases dot the driest of terrain.
The intensity of the visual experience parallels the emotional intensity of the people.
Paul Rabinow, Reflections on Fieldwork in Morocco, 1997
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