Sustainable oases agriculture: A journey through Morocco’s date palm production system
In the heart of Moroccan oases, date palm trees stand as the lifeblood of local communities, serving as both a livelihood cornerstone and a dietary treasure trove. Morocco has long been a leading date fruit producer. Yet, amidst the palm groves, several environmental, technical, and socio-economic c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Polish Academy of Sciences
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Water and Land Development |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.pan.pl/Content/130587/2024-01-JWLD-01.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827304714027401216 |
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| author | Kaoutar Hamriri Majid Atmani Ali Abidar Larbi Aziz Mustapha Fagroud Rachid Bouamri |
| author_facet | Kaoutar Hamriri Majid Atmani Ali Abidar Larbi Aziz Mustapha Fagroud Rachid Bouamri |
| author_sort | Kaoutar Hamriri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the heart of Moroccan oases, date palm trees stand as the lifeblood of local communities, serving as both a livelihood cornerstone and a dietary treasure trove. Morocco has long been a leading date fruit producer. Yet, amidst the palm groves, several environmental, technical, and socio-economic challenges have threatened the sustainability of this ancient crop. This study assesses the constraints and limitations of the date palm production system in Tafilalet oases that have kept this crop from reaching its full potential. A total of 56 producers were interviewed using an open- closed survey, illuminating interviews with key informants, dynamic focus group discussions, and direct observations in palm groves. The findings reveal that primary restrictions and barriers impeding the progress of this sector are: producers’ moderate education level and the limited adoption of technological innovation, few opportunities given to young producers, palm groves’ fragmentation, poor management of date fruits, low imports of the necessary inputs (fertilisers, irrigation, etc.), and the poor organisation of the marketing circuit (storage and packaging). Advocate renewed commitment to preserve and modernise palm groves, blending heritage with modern practices for thriving, sustainable date palm production. It is entirely conceivable to produce organic dates in the region since producers use a few quantities of chemical products, notably fertilisers and phytosanitary products. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T17:43:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-44848db331314a3981297aec4341093c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2083-4535 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T17:43:45Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Polish Academy of Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Water and Land Development |
| spelling | doaj.art-44848db331314a3981297aec4341093c2024-03-27T15:12:35ZengPolish Academy of SciencesJournal of Water and Land Development2083-45352024-03-01No 60111https://doi.org/10.24425/jwld.2023.148457Sustainable oases agriculture: A journey through Morocco’s date palm production systemKaoutar Hamriri0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0528-0630Majid Atmani1https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0563-1744Ali Abidar2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5020-9318Larbi Aziz3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6738-1707Mustapha Fagroud4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8084-8532Rachid Bouamri5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9668-7278Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Environmental Engineering, B.P. 2202 Imouzzer Rd, 30000, Fes, MoroccoSidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Environmental Engineering, B.P. 2202 Imouzzer Rd, 30000, Fes, MoroccoNational School of Agriculture, Department of Rural Development Engineering, B.P. S/40, km 10, Haj Kaddour, 50001, Meknes, MoroccoNational School of Agriculture, Department of Rural Development Engineering, B.P. S/40, km 10, Haj Kaddour, 50001, Meknes, MoroccoNational School of Agriculture, Department of Agronomy, B.P. S/40, km 10, Haj Kaddour, 50001, Meknes, MoroccoNational School of Agriculture, Department of Plant and Environment Protection, B.P. S/40, km 10, Haj Kaddour, 50001, Meknes, MoroccoIn the heart of Moroccan oases, date palm trees stand as the lifeblood of local communities, serving as both a livelihood cornerstone and a dietary treasure trove. Morocco has long been a leading date fruit producer. Yet, amidst the palm groves, several environmental, technical, and socio-economic challenges have threatened the sustainability of this ancient crop. This study assesses the constraints and limitations of the date palm production system in Tafilalet oases that have kept this crop from reaching its full potential. A total of 56 producers were interviewed using an open- closed survey, illuminating interviews with key informants, dynamic focus group discussions, and direct observations in palm groves. The findings reveal that primary restrictions and barriers impeding the progress of this sector are: producers’ moderate education level and the limited adoption of technological innovation, few opportunities given to young producers, palm groves’ fragmentation, poor management of date fruits, low imports of the necessary inputs (fertilisers, irrigation, etc.), and the poor organisation of the marketing circuit (storage and packaging). Advocate renewed commitment to preserve and modernise palm groves, blending heritage with modern practices for thriving, sustainable date palm production. It is entirely conceivable to produce organic dates in the region since producers use a few quantities of chemical products, notably fertilisers and phytosanitary products.https://journals.pan.pl/Content/130587/2024-01-JWLD-01.pdfdate palm treeoasispalm groveproducerproduction systemsustainability |
| spellingShingle | Kaoutar Hamriri Majid Atmani Ali Abidar Larbi Aziz Mustapha Fagroud Rachid Bouamri Sustainable oases agriculture: A journey through Morocco’s date palm production system Journal of Water and Land Development date palm tree oasis palm grove producer production system sustainability |
| title | Sustainable oases agriculture: A journey through Morocco’s date palm production system |
| title_full | Sustainable oases agriculture: A journey through Morocco’s date palm production system |
| title_fullStr | Sustainable oases agriculture: A journey through Morocco’s date palm production system |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sustainable oases agriculture: A journey through Morocco’s date palm production system |
| title_short | Sustainable oases agriculture: A journey through Morocco’s date palm production system |
| title_sort | sustainable oases agriculture a journey through morocco s date palm production system |
| topic | date palm tree oasis palm grove producer production system sustainability |
| url | https://journals.pan.pl/Content/130587/2024-01-JWLD-01.pdf |
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