Much attention has been paid to the issue of groundwater depletion linked to intensive groundwater-based agriculture in (semi-)arid areas. Often referred to as the “overexploitation” of aquifers, groundwater depletion is generally attributed to the entire agricultural sector without distinguishing between different uses and users. Although it expresses a general concern for future users, the ambiguous term of “overexploitation” does not acknowledge the contested nature of groundwater use and emerging inequalities. Also, the impact of inequality on groundwater depletion is rarely questioned. The aim of this article is to investigate how and by whom groundwater is depleted, and in turn, how unequal access to groundwater fuels the socioeconomic differentiation of farms and groundwater depletion. Based on a detailed analysis of groundwater use from a user perspective in two irrigated areas in North Africa (Morocco and Algeria), this study shows how the context of groundwater depletion exacerbates—and is exacerbated by—existing inequalities. The paper concludes that knowing how much is withdrawn, where, and by whom provides helpful information for more informed groundwater management by a better understanding of the response of users to declining groundwater conditions and the interests and incentives of different social categories of famers to contribute to groundwater management. (Résumé d'auteur
The recent history of groundwater use in North Africa provides a cautionary tale for climate change adaptation. Even though the short-term threats of groundwater overexploitation are clear, and territorially bounded, and involve comparatively few players, in recent decades, agricultural intensification has consistently increased pressure on the available resources. Groundwater has been governed through a dynamic interplay between formal rules and informal practices that focused more on maintaining fragile socio-political compromises than on ensuring environmental sustainability. If it is to be effective, climate change adaptation will need to muster the sort of political legitimacy that sustainable groundwater management is currently lacking. (Résumé d'auteur
Enjeux de la recomposition des exploitations agricoles collectives des grands périmètres irrigués en Algérie : le cas du Bas-Cheliff Résumé La réforme de 1987 du secteur agricole public en Algérie a donné naissance à des exploitations agricoles collectives et individuelles, de tailles plus modestes et plus autonomes que les domaines étatiques dont elles étaient issues. Par la suite, les exploitations collectives ont été divisées de manière informelle suite à des différends entre attributaires. Cet article propose une analyse de la crise actuelle du modèle algérien d'agriculture collective dans le périmètre irrigué du Bas-Cheliff. L'objectif est d'analyser l'émergence de nouvelles formes d'exploitations agricoles, de comprendre leur différenciation actuelle et de déterminer les principaux facteurs qui influencent les trajectoires d'évolution. Nous mettons en évidence une grande diversité de formes d'exploitations agricoles et une hétérogénéité de leurs performances économiques, qui dépendent de la structure antérieure des exploitations et de la capacité des agriculteurs à mettre en place des arrangements pour l'accès à l'eau. La reconnaissance des nouvelles formes d'exploitations agricoles apparaît nécessaire à la relance des productions, affichée comme l'objectif d'une politique agricole renouvelée.
Des serres et des hommes : des exploitations motrices de l'expansion territoriale et de l'ascension socioprofessionnelle sur un front pionnier de l'agriculture saharienne en Algérie
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.