A research article by the United States Institute of Peace highlighted the climate threat Morocco faces in upcoming years, saying the Kingdom will struggle to simultaneously ensure sufficient food and water stock.
The article, authored by American diplomat Thomas Hill, outlines the challenging reality of a worsening climate catastrophe for Morocco, where Hill explains that the existing and observed repercussions of the crisis will only be exacerbated and multiplied in the future, unless urgent curbing mechanisms are put in place.
“Morocco has improved its food production to reduce food insecurity and undernourishment, but that progress has stressed the country’s limited water supplies with water-intensive industrial farming practices,” said the author.
Considering that “ climate change intensifies structural drought throughout the Maghreb, Sahel and elsewhere,” Hill says that “these regions must develop policies that treat food insecurity and water scarcity as interlinked crises,” with the help of the US and its partners.
The researcher considered that “the food and water crises are interlinked in today’s world, marked by water scarcity at the international level,” while emphasizing that some regions are more threatened than others.
“The Middle East and North Africa have been disproportionately impacted by water scarcity,” explains the diplomat, adding that “of the 17 world’s countries experiencing extremely high water stress, 12 are in this region, and another seven countries in the region face high water stress.”
A close relationship between water and politics only increases the chance that problems of water scarcity and water equity will become fundamental political issues, according to Hill, who sees that socioeconomic conditions contribute significantly to the impacts of the crisis.
The article acknowledges that “the issue of food security in Morocco is well managed through agricultural development plans, but the water security crisis is still emerging at the national level, and is expected to reach levels of scarcity by 2030.”
While Morocco did not face any internal political or social disruptions, unlike its neighbors in the North African region, it witnessed “thirst protests,” as a result of frequent water cuts in its southern regions, the same source adds.
With regard to food security, the American researcher stressed that “Morocco launched the Green Morocco Plan to enhance food production, which contributed to the diversification of job opportunities and the modernization of traditional agriculture, but small agricultural areas remained unchanged in terms of poverty and development levels.”
The former diplomat also criticized “the Moroccan governments’ focus on export crops only, which led to a reduction in the area of land allocated to grain, resulting in the country becoming more dependent on foreign imports,” referring to the repercussions of the Ukrainian crisis on prices and stock.
The American researcher warned of “the damage of consumption habits to Morocco’s water resources by 2045, as mentioned by the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, through the depletion of the underground water table and pollution of sea water,” and considered that this “will have dire effects on social and economic stability.”
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.