Fatah Ameur - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Fatah Ameur
World Development, May 1, 2018
The aim of this paper is to analyze the emerging entrepreneurial practices on family farms in two... more The aim of this paper is to analyze the emerging entrepreneurial practices on family farms in two agrarian reform cooperatives in Morocco. Their emergence can be explained by the constant negotiation of multiple and sometimes even antagonistic logics within these farms in a context of rapid agrarian change and the juxtaposition of capitalistic, entrepreneurial and peasant farms in the same area. Through their engagement as workers or sharecroppers in the different types of farms and as household members on the family farm, the young farmers from the dismantled agrarian cooperatives participate actively in the transformation of farming modes. The porosity of the peasant and entrepreneurial worlds is the main lesson we draw from our study. There is a subtle process of hybridization between the peasant and entrepreneurial modes of farming, resulting in a wide range of profiles. If we only focus on the political discourse, the trend towards capitalistic and entrepreneurial modes of farming seems inescapable. Nevertheless, our study stresses the resistance of peasant modes of farming that can blend with a 'modern' perception of agriculture.
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Apr 1, 2022
In the irrigated plains of North Africa, the sustainability of productive resources is subject to... more In the irrigated plains of North Africa, the sustainability of productive resources is subject to several threats linked to the productivist model of irrigated agriculture. These threats prompt farmers to mobilize depleting productive resources. In order to reduce vulnerabilities and sustain their farming systems, farmers can update their adaptive strategies by setting-up innovative, alternative, farming practices that in conjunction enable them to sustain farm profitability. This study aims at mapping and analyzing such existing local farming practices with agroecological potentials. Our approach is based on direct observations combined with interviews with farmers in three irrigated plains in the Maghreb: the Merguellil, Upper Cheliff and Saiss plains, respectively in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. This study shows that, while intensive agricultural practices do characterize most farming systems, there co-exists, at the same time, a wide range of alternative practices that valorize...
Dans beaucoup de régions semi-arides, l’exploitation des eaux souterraines a accompagné une inten... more Dans beaucoup de régions semi-arides, l’exploitation des eaux souterraines a accompagné une intensification agricole du type révolution verte, permettant aux agriculteurs de pallier le manque d’eau et de produire des richesses. Mais cela les a aussi amené sur des trajectoires risquées avec des coûts de production élevés et des marchés agricoles volatils. Cela s’accompagne d’une surexploitation courante mettant à risque la pérennité d’une véritable économie agricole basée sur les eaux souterraines. Certaines catégories sociales ne peuvent plus suivre les nappes en déclin et de nouvelles inégalités apparaissent. L’objectif de la thèse est d’analyser comment la construction de la surexploitation de la nappe et la reproduction des inégalités d’accès et d’usage des eaux souterraines se renforcent mutuellement. Nous avons choisi de mettre l’usager au centre de l’approche, puisqu’une telle perspective a reçu peu d’attention dans le débat international sur la gouvernance des eaux souterrain...
New Medit
The saffron growing has emerged over the last decade in Algeria and has diffused in different agr... more The saffron growing has emerged over the last decade in Algeria and has diffused in different agroclimatic regions, especially in the M'Zab valley and its periphery in the Saharan region of the country. This study sets out to analyze the emerging saffron value chain in the M’Zab valley and suggests strategic options for strengthening its development. The analysis was based on a case study. The methodology applied the tools of value chain analysis in its positive and normative dimensions: a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches based on the triangulation of data collection methods (interviews, secondary data collection, direct observations). A participatory approach was used to make a SWOT analysis and to propose strategies for developing the value chain. The results showed that the local saffron value chain has strengths (proftabilty and quality) and opportunities (growing demand of healthy and natural products), but its performance is limited by weaknesses (pro...
Integrated Groundwater Management, 2016
Two contrasting views prevail on groundwater use in situations of predominantly state-led irrigat... more Two contrasting views prevail on groundwater use in situations of predominantly state-led irrigation development. The first considers 'groundwater as liberation', i.e., how, by capturing the irrigation initiative, farmers liberated themselves from 'state' water, enabling more intensive and productive agriculture. The second view-'groundwater as anarchy'-considers groundwater as a
New Medit
In recent years, despite its hostile environment and harsh climate, the wilaya of Ghardaïa has em... more In recent years, despite its hostile environment and harsh climate, the wilaya of Ghardaïa has emerged as a leader in dairy production in southern Algeria. This article sought to analyze how the innovation system in the dairy sector has, positively or negatively, influenced the development of the sector in this region and identify the socio-economic factors and institutions that have contributed to it. To do so, a functional-structural approach was taken. The data used were collected from semi-directive interviews and focus groups with different stakeholders involved in the dairy milk sector. Market restructuring, but also the collective organization, which is very common in the region, were found to be the main factors positively affecting the dairy sector. In addition, lobbying by the dairies and the asymmetry of power between dairy farmers and agri-food industrialists, a lack of collaboration and interaction between actors, a lack of coordination in knowledge development, and a l...
les cahiers du cread
Après soixante -ans d’indépendance, l’Algérie se retrouve face à des défis et des enjeux géopolit... more Après soixante -ans d’indépendance, l’Algérie se retrouve face à des défis et des enjeux géopolitiques, économiques, sociaux, technologiques et environnementaux majeures. Ce qui incite à repenser le modèle de développement économique et social au-delà des hydrocarbures pour une croissance économique durable.Ce numéro spécial se propose d’offrir aux chercheurs en sciences sociales de revenir sur ce passé récent de l’histoire de l’Algérie, d’en tirer les enseignements et surtout de contribuer à la réflexion prospective quant aux approches à envisager pour faire face à ces défis.La diversification économique et les réformes macro-structurelles, l’intégration de l’Algérie dans l’économie régionale et mondiale, la sécurité alimentaire, la transition énergétique, les politiques sociales et la réduction des inégalités, le capital humain et l’instauration de la bonne gouvernance tissent déjà la toile de cette nouvelle approche économique et sociale.
Irrigated agriculture is a major feature of the Mediterranean basin, and has expanded tremendousl... more Irrigated agriculture is a major feature of the Mediterranean basin, and has expanded tremendously in the past decades, through access to a previously untapped resource, groundwater. Within the perspective of global challenges linked to food security, poverty alleviation, natural resources degradation in conjunction with climate change, rural development and migration patterns, irrigated agriculture is of vital importance to maintain viable farming systems within the Mediterranean basin. In addition to the imminent threat of groundwater depletion, small-scale irrigated farming systems face vulnerabilities such as soil degradation, unequal access to productive resources and difficult access to markets and information. VIANA extends previous research on vulnerabilities of irrigated agriculture in North Africa, by characterizing potentially existing local agroecological solutions and understanding the context in which such practices have emerged or been adopted. Using the lens of vulnerability and adaptive capacity, and assuming that, locally, strong capacities of adaptations and innovations developed by farmers exist, the objective of this project is to identify, characterize and co-evaluate existing adaptations and lower-input systems developed by actors at different scales (plots, farms and irrigated territory) to deal with these vulnerabilities. The project will, in particular, focus on characterizing local farming practices with a potential to maintain overall productivity of irrigated territories while improving environmental sustainability, focusing in particular on on-farm improved efficiency of input uses, water efficient cropping systems, and crop-animal diversification strategies. The project involves three contrasted groundwater-irrigated territories in North Africa: the Saïs plain in Morocco, the Haut-Chéliff plain in Algeria, and the Kairouan plain in Tunisia. From a methodological point of view, the project is resolutely transdisciplinary, and will include researchers in agronomy, water and environmental sciences, economy and political science. All these disciplines will contribute to qualify the socio-ecological system of irrigated agriculture within an interdisciplinary cognitive framework. It is also problem and action-oriented and participatory, with an emphasis on social learning, through the inclusion of farmers and institutional actors in major steps of the project. Involving six young researchers from four Mediterranean countries, in various fields of knowledge, VIANA will contribute to forming a new generation of researchers interested in apprehending challenges around irrigated agriculture, in a transdisciplinary and participative approach. In parallel, it will contribute to improve farmers' knowledge on environmental impacts of agriculture through both the social learning process and a better understanding of their roles and actions in the research arena
Waten,apes and <ropping systems D Sidi Okba trad1ttonal palm grove: Common palm tree varieties
Chapitre 2. Méthodes d'estimation et d'extrapolation des pompages des eaux souterraines par l'int... more Chapitre 2. Méthodes d'estimation et d'extrapolation des pompages des eaux souterraines par l'intégration des pratiques locales : cas de la plaine du Saïss
Drip Irrigation for Agriculture, 2017
This chapter analyses the paradox of continued promotion of drip irrigation through state subsidi... more This chapter analyses the paradox of continued promotion of drip irrigation through state subsidies and donor-funded projects, on the basis of claims of water savings that are rarely backed up with evidence. Focusing on groundwater, two questions are proposed to unravel this double paradox: why is there increased pressure on groundwater resources despite the use of (purportedly) efficient drip irrigation? And why do actors continue to use the water saving argument for drip irrigation without ever measuring the claimed water conservation outcomes? These questions are illustrated through a case study in North Africa. (Resume d'auteur)
L'eau souterraine est une importante source de vie en Afrique du Nord et redessine aujourd... more L'eau souterraine est une importante source de vie en Afrique du Nord et redessine aujourd'hui les frontieres de l'irrigation. Cependant, plus de la moitie des nappes sont en forte baisse et l'eau souterraine est utilisee par une minorite d'agriculteurs. Reflechir l'utilisation qui est faite de l'eau souterraine devient donc un enjeu majeur. (Resume d'auteur)
Tiers-monde, 2014
In Maghreb, family farming has been changing rapidly in areas where access to groundwater and pri... more In Maghreb, family farming has been changing rapidly in areas where access to groundwater and private irrigation are developing. In these areas, we assume that there is an emergence and development of entrepreneurial practices on family farms which are characterized by more financial investment and increasing income. The aim of this paper is to analyze the reconfiguration of Maghreb family farms which use groundwater and to compare them with their usual representations by policy makers. This approach is based on surveys carried out in three regions (Sais in Morocco, Biskra in Algeria, and the Kairouan plain in Tunisia). The reconfiguration of family farms in these contexts can be explained by technical (innovative irrigation devices) and economic (strong connection to markets) changes and by modifications in social relationships among family members. The entrepreneurial practices observed facilitate the access to land, water and expertise and rely on informal arrangements. However, ...
La pandemie du COVID19 a provoque quasiment l’arret de l’economie mondiale, en raison des mesures... more La pandemie du COVID19 a provoque quasiment l’arret de l’economie mondiale, en raison des mesures prises pour eviter la propagation de la maladie. L’Algerie n’a pas ete epargnee. Il a fallu faire face a la fois a la maladie, en mettant en place des mesures de confinement sanitaire qui ont fragilise davantage la situation socio-economique et aussi aux consequences du ralentissement de l’economie mondiale et de la demande en hydrocarbures, principale source des recettes en devises du pays. L’impact de la COVID19 et surtout du confinement est constate, en Algerie, dans plusieurs dimensions et dans plusieurs secteurs : les hydrocarbures, la sante, le travail, l’enseignement, l’agriculture, le transport etc.Un diagnostic de situation a ete etabli par plusieurs articles, dans ce numero special sur «l’apres covid-19 : une economie ouverte et durable seule possibilite pour juguler l’impact de la pandemie ». Les consequences de cette pandemie ont surtout touche les populations a revenus mode...
Revue Marocaine des Sciences Agronomiques et Vétérinaires, 2016
Dans le Saiss, le developpement de l’irrigation par les eaux souterraines a permis la transformat... more Dans le Saiss, le developpement de l’irrigation par les eaux souterraines a permis la transformation des systemes de production, en particulier l’extension de l’arboriculture et du maraichage, et la production de richesses. Cependant, ces transformations ne concernent qu’une minorite d’agriculteurs en mesure d’acceder et d’exploiter l’eau souterraine. Ce developpement agricole rapide a contribue a la construction d’inegalites sociales et economiques, mais aussi a la baisse des niveaux des aquiferes. Puisque les prelevements reels par l’agriculture ne sont pas observes, il est difficile de determiner la part des differents types d’agricultures responsables des prelevements et d’identifier des leviers pour remedier a la surexploitation. L’objectif de l’article est de developper et comparer quatre methodes d’estimation et d’extrapolation des prelevements en eau souterraines agricoles en faisant la distinction entre usages et usagers. La zone d’etude concerne 4.200 ha dans la province d...
The challenge of agriculture in the up-coming decades is to feed an ever-increasing population wh... more The challenge of agriculture in the up-coming decades is to feed an ever-increasing population while reducing or getting rid of chemical inputs and preserving biodiversity and natural resources. In arid and semi-arid areas of the Mediterranean basin, farmers have to face this challenge, alongside multiple environmental and climatic risks. Due to low rainfall, irrigation is instrumental for agriculture and consequently for economy, in these areas. So far, irrigation has been analyzed in terms of eco-efficiency, and is commonly associated with intensification and pollution. First, this study aimed to identify, in a semi-arid irrigated area, a set of farming practices, already implemented by farmers, with agroecological potentials. We present in this communication two “virtuous” farming systems, compared to more conventional and intensive systems. Second, based on the results from 65 semi-structured interviews, a hypothetical plot with a more agroecological management style was designe...
World Development, May 1, 2018
The aim of this paper is to analyze the emerging entrepreneurial practices on family farms in two... more The aim of this paper is to analyze the emerging entrepreneurial practices on family farms in two agrarian reform cooperatives in Morocco. Their emergence can be explained by the constant negotiation of multiple and sometimes even antagonistic logics within these farms in a context of rapid agrarian change and the juxtaposition of capitalistic, entrepreneurial and peasant farms in the same area. Through their engagement as workers or sharecroppers in the different types of farms and as household members on the family farm, the young farmers from the dismantled agrarian cooperatives participate actively in the transformation of farming modes. The porosity of the peasant and entrepreneurial worlds is the main lesson we draw from our study. There is a subtle process of hybridization between the peasant and entrepreneurial modes of farming, resulting in a wide range of profiles. If we only focus on the political discourse, the trend towards capitalistic and entrepreneurial modes of farming seems inescapable. Nevertheless, our study stresses the resistance of peasant modes of farming that can blend with a 'modern' perception of agriculture.
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Apr 1, 2022
In the irrigated plains of North Africa, the sustainability of productive resources is subject to... more In the irrigated plains of North Africa, the sustainability of productive resources is subject to several threats linked to the productivist model of irrigated agriculture. These threats prompt farmers to mobilize depleting productive resources. In order to reduce vulnerabilities and sustain their farming systems, farmers can update their adaptive strategies by setting-up innovative, alternative, farming practices that in conjunction enable them to sustain farm profitability. This study aims at mapping and analyzing such existing local farming practices with agroecological potentials. Our approach is based on direct observations combined with interviews with farmers in three irrigated plains in the Maghreb: the Merguellil, Upper Cheliff and Saiss plains, respectively in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. This study shows that, while intensive agricultural practices do characterize most farming systems, there co-exists, at the same time, a wide range of alternative practices that valorize...
Dans beaucoup de régions semi-arides, l’exploitation des eaux souterraines a accompagné une inten... more Dans beaucoup de régions semi-arides, l’exploitation des eaux souterraines a accompagné une intensification agricole du type révolution verte, permettant aux agriculteurs de pallier le manque d’eau et de produire des richesses. Mais cela les a aussi amené sur des trajectoires risquées avec des coûts de production élevés et des marchés agricoles volatils. Cela s’accompagne d’une surexploitation courante mettant à risque la pérennité d’une véritable économie agricole basée sur les eaux souterraines. Certaines catégories sociales ne peuvent plus suivre les nappes en déclin et de nouvelles inégalités apparaissent. L’objectif de la thèse est d’analyser comment la construction de la surexploitation de la nappe et la reproduction des inégalités d’accès et d’usage des eaux souterraines se renforcent mutuellement. Nous avons choisi de mettre l’usager au centre de l’approche, puisqu’une telle perspective a reçu peu d’attention dans le débat international sur la gouvernance des eaux souterrain...
New Medit
The saffron growing has emerged over the last decade in Algeria and has diffused in different agr... more The saffron growing has emerged over the last decade in Algeria and has diffused in different agroclimatic regions, especially in the M'Zab valley and its periphery in the Saharan region of the country. This study sets out to analyze the emerging saffron value chain in the M’Zab valley and suggests strategic options for strengthening its development. The analysis was based on a case study. The methodology applied the tools of value chain analysis in its positive and normative dimensions: a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches based on the triangulation of data collection methods (interviews, secondary data collection, direct observations). A participatory approach was used to make a SWOT analysis and to propose strategies for developing the value chain. The results showed that the local saffron value chain has strengths (proftabilty and quality) and opportunities (growing demand of healthy and natural products), but its performance is limited by weaknesses (pro...
Integrated Groundwater Management, 2016
Two contrasting views prevail on groundwater use in situations of predominantly state-led irrigat... more Two contrasting views prevail on groundwater use in situations of predominantly state-led irrigation development. The first considers 'groundwater as liberation', i.e., how, by capturing the irrigation initiative, farmers liberated themselves from 'state' water, enabling more intensive and productive agriculture. The second view-'groundwater as anarchy'-considers groundwater as a
New Medit
In recent years, despite its hostile environment and harsh climate, the wilaya of Ghardaïa has em... more In recent years, despite its hostile environment and harsh climate, the wilaya of Ghardaïa has emerged as a leader in dairy production in southern Algeria. This article sought to analyze how the innovation system in the dairy sector has, positively or negatively, influenced the development of the sector in this region and identify the socio-economic factors and institutions that have contributed to it. To do so, a functional-structural approach was taken. The data used were collected from semi-directive interviews and focus groups with different stakeholders involved in the dairy milk sector. Market restructuring, but also the collective organization, which is very common in the region, were found to be the main factors positively affecting the dairy sector. In addition, lobbying by the dairies and the asymmetry of power between dairy farmers and agri-food industrialists, a lack of collaboration and interaction between actors, a lack of coordination in knowledge development, and a l...
les cahiers du cread
Après soixante -ans d’indépendance, l’Algérie se retrouve face à des défis et des enjeux géopolit... more Après soixante -ans d’indépendance, l’Algérie se retrouve face à des défis et des enjeux géopolitiques, économiques, sociaux, technologiques et environnementaux majeures. Ce qui incite à repenser le modèle de développement économique et social au-delà des hydrocarbures pour une croissance économique durable.Ce numéro spécial se propose d’offrir aux chercheurs en sciences sociales de revenir sur ce passé récent de l’histoire de l’Algérie, d’en tirer les enseignements et surtout de contribuer à la réflexion prospective quant aux approches à envisager pour faire face à ces défis.La diversification économique et les réformes macro-structurelles, l’intégration de l’Algérie dans l’économie régionale et mondiale, la sécurité alimentaire, la transition énergétique, les politiques sociales et la réduction des inégalités, le capital humain et l’instauration de la bonne gouvernance tissent déjà la toile de cette nouvelle approche économique et sociale.
Irrigated agriculture is a major feature of the Mediterranean basin, and has expanded tremendousl... more Irrigated agriculture is a major feature of the Mediterranean basin, and has expanded tremendously in the past decades, through access to a previously untapped resource, groundwater. Within the perspective of global challenges linked to food security, poverty alleviation, natural resources degradation in conjunction with climate change, rural development and migration patterns, irrigated agriculture is of vital importance to maintain viable farming systems within the Mediterranean basin. In addition to the imminent threat of groundwater depletion, small-scale irrigated farming systems face vulnerabilities such as soil degradation, unequal access to productive resources and difficult access to markets and information. VIANA extends previous research on vulnerabilities of irrigated agriculture in North Africa, by characterizing potentially existing local agroecological solutions and understanding the context in which such practices have emerged or been adopted. Using the lens of vulnerability and adaptive capacity, and assuming that, locally, strong capacities of adaptations and innovations developed by farmers exist, the objective of this project is to identify, characterize and co-evaluate existing adaptations and lower-input systems developed by actors at different scales (plots, farms and irrigated territory) to deal with these vulnerabilities. The project will, in particular, focus on characterizing local farming practices with a potential to maintain overall productivity of irrigated territories while improving environmental sustainability, focusing in particular on on-farm improved efficiency of input uses, water efficient cropping systems, and crop-animal diversification strategies. The project involves three contrasted groundwater-irrigated territories in North Africa: the Saïs plain in Morocco, the Haut-Chéliff plain in Algeria, and the Kairouan plain in Tunisia. From a methodological point of view, the project is resolutely transdisciplinary, and will include researchers in agronomy, water and environmental sciences, economy and political science. All these disciplines will contribute to qualify the socio-ecological system of irrigated agriculture within an interdisciplinary cognitive framework. It is also problem and action-oriented and participatory, with an emphasis on social learning, through the inclusion of farmers and institutional actors in major steps of the project. Involving six young researchers from four Mediterranean countries, in various fields of knowledge, VIANA will contribute to forming a new generation of researchers interested in apprehending challenges around irrigated agriculture, in a transdisciplinary and participative approach. In parallel, it will contribute to improve farmers' knowledge on environmental impacts of agriculture through both the social learning process and a better understanding of their roles and actions in the research arena
Waten,apes and <ropping systems D Sidi Okba trad1ttonal palm grove: Common palm tree varieties
Chapitre 2. Méthodes d'estimation et d'extrapolation des pompages des eaux souterraines par l'int... more Chapitre 2. Méthodes d'estimation et d'extrapolation des pompages des eaux souterraines par l'intégration des pratiques locales : cas de la plaine du Saïss
Drip Irrigation for Agriculture, 2017
This chapter analyses the paradox of continued promotion of drip irrigation through state subsidi... more This chapter analyses the paradox of continued promotion of drip irrigation through state subsidies and donor-funded projects, on the basis of claims of water savings that are rarely backed up with evidence. Focusing on groundwater, two questions are proposed to unravel this double paradox: why is there increased pressure on groundwater resources despite the use of (purportedly) efficient drip irrigation? And why do actors continue to use the water saving argument for drip irrigation without ever measuring the claimed water conservation outcomes? These questions are illustrated through a case study in North Africa. (Resume d'auteur)
L'eau souterraine est une importante source de vie en Afrique du Nord et redessine aujourd... more L'eau souterraine est une importante source de vie en Afrique du Nord et redessine aujourd'hui les frontieres de l'irrigation. Cependant, plus de la moitie des nappes sont en forte baisse et l'eau souterraine est utilisee par une minorite d'agriculteurs. Reflechir l'utilisation qui est faite de l'eau souterraine devient donc un enjeu majeur. (Resume d'auteur)
Tiers-monde, 2014
In Maghreb, family farming has been changing rapidly in areas where access to groundwater and pri... more In Maghreb, family farming has been changing rapidly in areas where access to groundwater and private irrigation are developing. In these areas, we assume that there is an emergence and development of entrepreneurial practices on family farms which are characterized by more financial investment and increasing income. The aim of this paper is to analyze the reconfiguration of Maghreb family farms which use groundwater and to compare them with their usual representations by policy makers. This approach is based on surveys carried out in three regions (Sais in Morocco, Biskra in Algeria, and the Kairouan plain in Tunisia). The reconfiguration of family farms in these contexts can be explained by technical (innovative irrigation devices) and economic (strong connection to markets) changes and by modifications in social relationships among family members. The entrepreneurial practices observed facilitate the access to land, water and expertise and rely on informal arrangements. However, ...
La pandemie du COVID19 a provoque quasiment l’arret de l’economie mondiale, en raison des mesures... more La pandemie du COVID19 a provoque quasiment l’arret de l’economie mondiale, en raison des mesures prises pour eviter la propagation de la maladie. L’Algerie n’a pas ete epargnee. Il a fallu faire face a la fois a la maladie, en mettant en place des mesures de confinement sanitaire qui ont fragilise davantage la situation socio-economique et aussi aux consequences du ralentissement de l’economie mondiale et de la demande en hydrocarbures, principale source des recettes en devises du pays. L’impact de la COVID19 et surtout du confinement est constate, en Algerie, dans plusieurs dimensions et dans plusieurs secteurs : les hydrocarbures, la sante, le travail, l’enseignement, l’agriculture, le transport etc.Un diagnostic de situation a ete etabli par plusieurs articles, dans ce numero special sur «l’apres covid-19 : une economie ouverte et durable seule possibilite pour juguler l’impact de la pandemie ». Les consequences de cette pandemie ont surtout touche les populations a revenus mode...
Revue Marocaine des Sciences Agronomiques et Vétérinaires, 2016
Dans le Saiss, le developpement de l’irrigation par les eaux souterraines a permis la transformat... more Dans le Saiss, le developpement de l’irrigation par les eaux souterraines a permis la transformation des systemes de production, en particulier l’extension de l’arboriculture et du maraichage, et la production de richesses. Cependant, ces transformations ne concernent qu’une minorite d’agriculteurs en mesure d’acceder et d’exploiter l’eau souterraine. Ce developpement agricole rapide a contribue a la construction d’inegalites sociales et economiques, mais aussi a la baisse des niveaux des aquiferes. Puisque les prelevements reels par l’agriculture ne sont pas observes, il est difficile de determiner la part des differents types d’agricultures responsables des prelevements et d’identifier des leviers pour remedier a la surexploitation. L’objectif de l’article est de developper et comparer quatre methodes d’estimation et d’extrapolation des prelevements en eau souterraines agricoles en faisant la distinction entre usages et usagers. La zone d’etude concerne 4.200 ha dans la province d...
The challenge of agriculture in the up-coming decades is to feed an ever-increasing population wh... more The challenge of agriculture in the up-coming decades is to feed an ever-increasing population while reducing or getting rid of chemical inputs and preserving biodiversity and natural resources. In arid and semi-arid areas of the Mediterranean basin, farmers have to face this challenge, alongside multiple environmental and climatic risks. Due to low rainfall, irrigation is instrumental for agriculture and consequently for economy, in these areas. So far, irrigation has been analyzed in terms of eco-efficiency, and is commonly associated with intensification and pollution. First, this study aimed to identify, in a semi-arid irrigated area, a set of farming practices, already implemented by farmers, with agroecological potentials. We present in this communication two “virtuous” farming systems, compared to more conventional and intensive systems. Second, based on the results from 65 semi-structured interviews, a hypothetical plot with a more agroecological management style was designe...