Morocco has lost 294,000 hectares of farmland between 2014 and 2023, with notable shifts in the types of crops being cultivated, according to a recent analysis by Hortoinfo using data from the UN’s FAOSTAT database.
The country saw reductions of 10,978 hectares in melon crops, 1,387 hectares in watermelon, and 1,042 hectares in tomatoes. At the same time, other crops increased, namely eggplant rose by 1,629 hectares, pepper by 589, and cucumber by 257.
The article highlights a clear trend of shrinking agricultural land across several key farming countries, along with noticeable changes in the types of crops being prioritized.
Spain, by comparison, experienced an even larger decline, losing 582,000 hectares of farmland over the same period, falling from 17.19 million hectares in 2015 to 16.61 million in 2023.
Melon cultivation in Spain decreased by 7,220 hectares, tomatoes by 4,660, cucumber by 599, and eggplant by 119 hectares. But watermelon and pepper crops expanded, with increases of 3,511 and 3,157 hectares, respectively.
Turkey, with nearly 24 million hectares of farmland, also reported major crop losses. Compared to 2015, watermelon fields dropped by 31,933 hectares in 2023, melons by 24,337, tomatoes by 16,706, eggplants by 7,630, cucumbers by 2,950, and peppers by 2,751.
France recorded the steepest decline in farmland in Western Europe, down 1.4 million hectares from 2015 to 2023. The Netherlands also reduced its farmland by 36,000 hectares during the same period.
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