Socioeconomic Analysis of the Roles of Agriculture in Morocco

The study conducted in morocco, within FAO/ROA project, showed that agriculture, while being affected by exogenous natural conditions and macroeconomic factors, contributes significantly to environmental amenities, poverty alleviation, social viability and national culture. The analysis of environmental roles showed an asymmetry of information in favor of negative externalities. However, agriculture provides positive externalities as demonstrated through the economic evaluation of three cases concerning landscape beautification, agro tourism and animal biodiversity conservation. Poverty has been exacerbated in depth, volume and severity and remains a rural phenomenon with a visible concentration in areas characterized by limited land endowments, low productivity activities and weak levels of economic development. Tough referred to as a national sovereignty attribute, food security has clearly deteriorated, during the 1994-2000 period, as evidenced by staple food availability, access and stability. Despite this evolution, agriculture still contributes to social viability in terms of spatial distribution of the population, the regulation of migratory flows as well as in terms of the preservation of community solidarity and the formation of social capital. Focus group interviews showed, in particular, that agriculture and rurality are closely related and that both have been subject to transformations which have affected people perceptions of agriculture contributions to society. The analysis, also, revealed the existence of linkages among externalities associated with the different roles of agriculture. Existing synergies or conflicts are crucial to the level of agriculture performance. This complex implies adoption of a holistic approach in designing integrate policy alternative. The latter should combine agricultural and non-agricultural sector policies and macroeconomic policies. Therefore, implementation of new options, in the absence of adequate and functional institutions, requires government intervention in order to prevent increasing uncontrolled market liberalization that may be detrimental to the stability the whole national country.