The Challenges of Sustainable Agricultural Development in Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries: The Case of Morocco

Despite its decline in relative importance over time, agriculture continues to play a major role in the overall development process of the country, not only in economic terms but also socially by providing food, employment and stability to the needy segments of the population. In view of this importance, the agriculture and food sectors have been the subject matter of a multitude of public policies aiming mainly at protecting the consumer purchasing power and sustaining farm incomes. This has resulted in ever expanding public budget outlays that have reached levels that are not only difficult to sustain, they also have proven to be biased in favor of the less needy. Emphasis put on intensive use of industrial inputs to promote growth in agricultural supply has had insufficient response to meet the expanding demand, and resulted in resource depletion and impoverishment. Recent public uprisings as part of the Arab spring movement have revealed the existence of major deficiencies and social inequities in the public intervention modalities. Agricultural and food policies in Tunisia have hitherto been designed and analyzed in a partial framework, not in an integrated way. There is need today for more comprehensive ways of assessing the impacts of policies not only on agricultural growth inducement but also on consumer welfare and its distribution across segments of the population and regions. The notion of market liberalization is increasingly challenged today in view of the world market instability. Hence the risk and uncertainty dimensions need to be taken into more consideration in assessing future alternative policy courses of action.