The Agriculture of Morocco: Programs, Progress, Prospects

Excerpts from the report Summary: Practically all of Morocco's most productive land lies in the areas that were, until 5 years ago, under the French and Spanish protectorates. In the vicinity of Tangier, agriculture is negligible; in the Saharan south, it comprises scattered plantings, mainly of barley, and a precarious form of animal husbandry. Both activities are severely limited by scarcity of water. About one-fifth of Morocco is cultivated or lies fallow. Another fifth is in grazing land. However, grazing also takes place on land in alfa (esparto) grass stubble and in crop residues and on fallow and part of the land in forests. About 21 million acres are estimated to be potentially useful, although not presently devoted to agricultural production. The Moroccan Government hopes to build a new agricultural economy in which traditional farming may be speedily transformed into a largely Moroccanized modem farming sector. The Government plans to redistribute and consolidate land, implement Operation Plow (Operation Labour), which stresses cooperative farming under modem methods, extend irrigation, and step up programs for reforestation, soil conservation, and livestock improvement. Efforts are being made to diversify production, to reduce imports by producing more crops for home consumption, and to increase exports of farm goods