orocco’s farmers are growing increasingly anxious as delayed autumn rains and shrinking water reserves threaten to disrupt the new agricultural season, raising fears of another year of drought-driven hardship.
The Ministry of Equipment and Water reported this week that the country’s dams are only 32 percent full, down from 40 percent in May, reflecting months of heatwaves, evaporation losses, and rising consumption.
Agricultural associations warn that the absence of rainfall is already affecting autumn crops and pasture growth, especially in regions dependent on rainfed agriculture.
“Everyone is waiting impatiently for the rain, which brings hope back to farmers,” said Fatmi Boukarzia, president of the Moroccan Association for Agricultural Development, in remarks to Hespress.
He explained that precipitation at this stage would boost yields, but continued delays could “deepen the suffering of farmers already weighed down by high input costs.”
The heatwave-driven evaporation of 650 million cubic meters of dam water, coupled with the halted barley subsidy program, has compounded pressures on livestock breeders. Boukarzia stressed that herders are particularly exposed due to the loss of natural grazing areas.
Othman Aakal, member of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Chamber of Agriculture, described the rain shortage as a structural crisis persisting for seven years. He warned that while autumn crops can still recover if rains arrive soon, “livestock breeders are the hardest hit, as the lack of grass forces them to buy expensive feed amid soaring prices.”
The Ministry of Equipment and Water said Morocco has mobilized 4.8 billion cubic meters of water this year, up 50 percent from last season but still 22 percent below normal levels.
Authorities are accelerating projects to bolster supplies, including 14 large dams under construction and 110 mobile desalination units providing drinking water to rural areas.
Farmers, however, say short-term relief depends on imminent rainfall. “Without rain or support, the burden on herders is becoming unbearable,” Aakal said. “We urgently need the barley subsidy reinstated to protect both livestock and livelihoods.”
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