Microcrédit et développement territorial à petite échelle : Analyse à partir de cas empiriques à Larache et Tanger (Maroc)

Both microcredit and territorial development professionals aim towards socioeconomic development relying on the work and inner resources of the beneficiary population. Thus, it seems natural to study the relationships between that financing tool and this approach to development. A number of studies showed that microcredit may be useful to fight against poverty, but it is not at all a panacea en terms of socioeconomic development. What can be its utility when implemented in highly disadvantaged territories? Three development projects of small-scale territories, that were carried in Morocco during the 2008-2011-period and partially based on this kind of financing, offer the opportunity to study the suitability of this tool, and at the same time the influence of the small size of the area. These experiences showed that microcredit is not relevant to help the poorest populations, who have irregular incomes. Indeed, microcredit implies a heavy constraint for beneficiaries: the regular repayment of the loan, which can become quickly unbearable for these vulnerable populations. Besides, the small size of the target territory is a further complication for the success of a microcredit program. However, it is possible to overcome this constraint, provided, first, that the beneficiaries of microcredit program do not represent a too high proportion of the whole population of the area and, second, that they are able to refund regularly their loans.