Designing a debate on the role of young farmers in a context of agrarian change in the Saïss (Morocco)

Abstract

Groundwater use enabled the development of intensive horticulture and arboriculture alongside more diversified farming systems in the Saïss (Morocco). Young farmers actively engage with these different farming systems. The rapid agrarian changes raise questions about the future of farming in a context of declining groundwater levels and saturated agricultural markets. The aim of this article is to contribute to the debate on the differences in intergenerational logic in changing agricultural practices. We developed a participatory approach to involve the diverse types of farmers and institutional stakeholders in a debate on the future of farming and on the role of young farmers in two agrarian reform cooperatives. Our results show that the different age groups behave very differently from one another, both in the game and in real life. The farmers of the agrarian reform have defensive strategies and refuse to "play" without being sure of access to productive resources. Their sons play both in the real world to develop entrepreneurial farming and in the virtual world to explore the possibilities for change, on diversified family farms and on large entrepreneurial farms. Although young farmers will shape tomorrow's agriculture, their projects are not currently not taken into account by policy. It is therefore important to rethink public policies to support them.