Morocco's water policies bolster agricultural resilience against drought

Morocco's proactive water governance framework and substantial investments are enhancing the agricultural sector's resilience against persistent drought and climate change, a recent report from the Middle East Institute highlights. While North Africa faces growing sustainability pressures from water scarcity and land degradation, Morocco demonstrates stronger institutional capacity and investment in modernizing its water and agriculture sectors.

The report notes that despite ongoing drought since 2018, which saw major dam levels drop significantly, national reservoir levels have recovered to about 76% capacity. However, the risk of drought remains, particularly as agriculture consumes over 80% of Morocco's water supply. The nation's future agricultural performance is thus closely tied to unstable climatic conditions and rainfall variability.

To mitigate these vulnerabilities, Morocco is heavily investing in desalination plants, with 17 currently operational and plans for nine more by 2030. It is also expanding water transfer infrastructure to move water from wetter northern regions to drier southern and inland areas. These efforts, coupled with government-led strategies promoting climate-smart agriculture and sustainable land management, aim to support millions of Moroccan farmers and boost agricultural exports.

Agriculture is a cornerstone of Morocco's economy, contributing 15% to GDP and employing 40% of the workforce. The government is focused on reducing reliance on strategic imports like wheat and promoting water-efficient irrigation and agricultural resilience, benefiting approximately 2.7 million farmers.