Crop Residues Tradeoffs in Rain-Fed Areas of Morocco
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Crop residues tradeoffs in rain-fed areas of Morocco MSc thesis by Josselin Gauny March 2016 Soil Physics and Land Management Crop residues tradeoffs in rain-fed areas of Morocco Master thesis Soil Physics and Land Management Group submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Science in International Land and Water Management at Wageningen University, the Netherlands Study program: MSc International Land and Water Management Student registration number: 830517251070 SLM 80336 Supervisors: WU Supervisor: Dr.ir C.A. Aad Kessler (SLM Group) Host supervisors: Dr. Mohammed El Mourid (ICARDA North Africa), Dr. Oussama El Gharras (INRA Morocco-Settat) Examinator: Prof. Coen Ritsema Date: 27/03/16 Soil Physics and Land Management Group, Wageningen University ii « On ne doit jamais laisser ces terrains à l’état de labour (c’est-à-dire à nu) pendant le cours de l’été, parce que la chaleur du soleil dans cette saison les brûlerait et les laisserait dépourvus de toute espèce d’humidité et de graisse et réduits à l’état de poudre » Ibn Al Awwâm Agronomist, 12th century Picture on front page by J. Gauny (Oued Zem region, 2015) iii Executive summary In rain-fed areas of Morocco, integrated crops-livestock systems are put under high stress by erratic climatic circumstances. To reverse the trend of low productivity aggravated by land degradation and drought recurrence, conservation agriculture provides a set of innovative technical options to keep up the yields in a sustainable manner. However, despite positive research outcomes and longstanding efforts to promote it amongst farmers, the adoption rate of conservation agriculture in rain-fed areas of Chaouia-Ouardigha remains low, particularly because the retention of crop residues is problematic to farmers. This research, undertaken in the frame of a research-action project implemented by ICARDA and INRA-Morocco, investigates the influence of tradeoffs around biomass use on the adoption of cereal residues retention as a soil conservation measure. Tradeoffs are tackled in a systemic approach encompassing agro-ecological, economic, socio-cultural and risk perception-related determinants. Focus group discussions and a household survey as well as a review of conservation agriculture experiments in the area of study underpin the analysis. The research confirms the existence of a severe tradeoff between competing objectives: the retention of residues for soil cover is not practiced on purpose by farmers, who give priority to livestock feeding and secondarily straw trade. The tradeoff plays out at farm level (“feeding the cow rather than the soil”) but also at village scale, as a result of farmers’ heterogeneity. Feed alternatives do exist and biophysical advantages of residues retention, proven by research, are generally admitted by farmers, but the short-term horizons of planning hinder uptake by farmers. Targeting primarily farmers who face moderate tradeoffs (crops-oriented small- to middle- scale farmers in the most homogeneous community), would be a relevant entry gate to dissemination, but a holistic approach including all categories of farmers in a step-by-step process is the best alternative to overcome crucial grazing issues caused by economic and land inequalities. Keywords: conservation agriculture – crop residues - tradeoffs – adoption – crops-livestock integration – Morocco – rain-fed agriculture – sustainable land management iv Acknowledgements I would first of all like to express my deepest appreciation to the 40 farmers for spending time with me talking about crop residues and other matters. I have been touched by their availability: they are the worthy representatives of the legendary Moroccan hospitality. I especially thank Hicham Daoui and El Wafi Mohamed who facilitated a lot the field work. These interviews wouldn’t have been possible without the translations, facilitation, calls and other organizational efforts relentlessly made by Mr Hassani, technician at INRA office in Settat. Furthermore, I would like to show my gratitude to the INRA team in Settat. Oussama El Gharras, Mohamed Boughlala and Mohamed El Koudrim allowed my immersion within the conservation agriculture projects and backed my research with valuable feedbacks, advices and documentation. Oussama El Gharras spared no effort to welcome me and facilitate my integration in Morocco. I also would like to thank ICARDA, and particularly Dr. Mohamed El Mourid, who enabled my stay in Morocco and my access to ICARDA and INRA projects in drylands. I would like to thank my WUR supervisor, Aad Kessler, for his useful advices and kind support from the beginning of this adventure. He greatly contributed to stimulating my intrinsic motivation in SLM issues throughout this master. Finally, Luuk Fleskens helped me sort out statistical issues. v Table of content EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................................... IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .....................................................................................................................................................V TABLE OF CONTENT ......................................................................................................................................................... VI LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................................. VIII LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................................................. IX LIST OF CHARTS................................................................................................................................................................. IX LIST OF PICTURES ...............................................................................................................................................................X GLOSSARY ...........................................................................................................................................................................XII LIST OF ACRONYMS .........................................................................................................................................................XII 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM STATEMENT .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1.1 Background ............................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Drylands agriculture ................................................................................................................................................................................ 1 Land degradation ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Climate change ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Conservation agriculture: the panacea to dryland agriculture?......................................................................................... 2 Crop residues retention: the “Achille’s heel” of conservation agriculture .................................................................... 3 The Green Morocco Plan ........................................................................................................................................................................ 3 1.1.2 Problem statement ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................................................................................4 1.2.1 Approach .................................................................................................................................................................................. 4 1.2.2 Concepts .................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Best practices .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Agro-ecological impact ........................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Economic profitability ............................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Acceptance ..................................................................................................................................................................................................