Aziz Rabbah
Monday, May 19, 2025

After His Majesty the King may Allah preserve him, gave his strict instructions at the beginning of the last ministerial council meeting to prepare and implement an urgent program for the development of the livestock sector and its reconstruction, the President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Abdelkader Amara, presented in a press conference on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, a detailed report on small and medium agriculture, which included indicators and recommendations related to the threats and challenges that must be addressed with the necessary seriousness.

The report indicated that this agricultural model, also known as subsistence or social and solidarity agriculture, constitutes about 70% of the total agricultural holdings and employs half of the agricultural workforce, 50%, and plays a pivotal role in rural development.

However, despite this, it has not been adequately and effectively integrated into the agricultural development process and has remained marginalized compared to large agricultural projects, which has led to a weak contribution to agricultural added value, food security, population stability, and the attractiveness of rural areas.

The report acknowledged a number of deficiencies and obstacles that can be summarized as follows:

- Receiving support that is not commensurate with its importance and the objectives of the agricultural plan, as it has only received 14.5 billion dirhams in investments, compared to 99 billion directed to high-value agriculture.

- Weak institutional attention, whether in terms of agricultural guidance, technical support, financing, or follow-up, which makes it the weakest link in current agricultural policies.

- Vulnerability, especially in light of climate changes, rising production input prices, supply chain disruptions, and the fragmented nature of lands and the difficulty of valuing them.

- The absence of a proper organization that represents the sector, frames it, expresses its interests, and forms negotiation powers in favor of farmers.

- The lack or inadequacy of the marketing system and the dominance of intermediaries over the market, leading to speculations at the expense of small producers.

To overcome all those deficiencies and obstacles, the report emphasized the need for more recognition, encouragement, and valuation of this agricultural model in public agricultural policy, based on the following recommendations:

- Making small and medium family farming a strategic priority within public policies concerned with comprehensive local development, considering the economic and social functions it seeks.

- Adopting a national action plan that takes into account territorial and environmental specificities, focuses on integrating this model into value chains, improving its access to financing, and valuing its contribution to preserving ecosystems.

- Developing it to be more productive, integrated, and sustainable, by enhancing its integration into value-added chains and raising its negotiating power in markets, and its contribution to stabilizing rural populations and improving income.

- Considering the specificities of the territorial field, by implementing support measures that extend beyond agricultural activities to include continuing to develop appropriate infrastructure, diversifying income-generating activities, and improving access to public services.

- Encouraging farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices such as optimal irrigation management and agricultural diversification, while taking into account the ecological specificity of each region and developing crops resistant to climate changes.

- The urgency to reorganize marketing chains and regulate the role of intermediaries to mitigate the increase in food product prices.

- Organizing farmers into cooperatives and economic structures and developing small local industrial units to add value to agricultural products.

- Enhancing agricultural consultation and expanding support services to include non-agricultural income-generating activities.

- Providing appropriate incentive financial mechanisms considering their role in combating desertification, preserving soil, and maintaining the natural and cultural heritage.

The opportunity is now ripe for a deep review of agricultural policy to value the positive developments achieved, which are undeniable but have not met the desired objectives!! And also to address the deficiencies and failures resulting from management or climate changes.

This microscope is based on a national observatory for agriculture and rural development that includes indicators on food security, rural development, population stability, employment, water rationalization, and the food and agricultural industry.. These are the goals that have been committed to, but they have only been partially achieved!! Therefore, it is necessary to undertake the recent review to change the course and improve management by sincere commitment from all to the royal directives and the necessary seriousness and agricultural governance.

Thus, our country maintains the most important safety valve for security and stability and the guarantor of family and lineage, embodied in the small and medium class in rural areas.

"If Allah knows of any good in your hearts, He will give you good." Almighty Allah has spoken the truth.