Since the 1980s, the Biskra region in Algeria's Sahara has undergone rapid agricultural change leading to territorial transformation. Horticultural production under greenhouses, associated with a rapid expansion of date palm plantations, has led to a tangible agricultural boom that is constantly pushing the boundaries of agricultural production and constitutes a true pioneering fringe. To understand the pioneering logics at wo...

Drip irrigation is widely used in a range of different farming systems. Farmers generally adapt drip irrigation systems to their specific conditions. Irrigation performance is usually related to the hydraulic parameters of drip irrigation, and is usually expressed as a single static value. We developed a comprehensive approach to account for irrigation performance as a dynamic process, which evolves continuously due to changes...

In the irrigated scheme of West Mitidja, access to land and water is ensured through countless local informal arrangements. The assignees of small collective farms have subdivided the land informally, and rent out part of it to lessees, thereby circumventing current legislation. The surface irrigation system provides only a small proportion of irrigation water to farmers, who rely mainly on groundwater for irrigation. The resu...

We designed and implemented an action–research programme in large‐scale irrigation schemes in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, aiming to develop a regional network of competences by conducting research, training and development activities, and involving local actors. We worked on three issues: (i) the sustainability of North Africa's growing groundwater economy, (ii) the integration of environmental constraints in the management...

Salinity problems induced by irrigation are often presented in the literature as a threat that can only be managed at the irrigation scheme scale by installing subsurface drainage. On the other hand, salinity is a constraint that has often been successfully managed locally by farmers adapting their practices. However, the continuing expansion of irrigation with related water scarcity problems plus the increasing use of groundw...

The design of public policy related to irrigation sectors in North Africa was often based on the state view. Local farmers' organizations, made up of family farms, did not contribute to building the legal framework, which was in turn unable to propose specific solutions for family farming. Legal reforms currently underway in Morocco and Algeria show how difficult it is to integrate field realities. Access to land and water res...

The relationship between irrigated schemes, farms and agro‐food processors may provide leeway to improve water saving and water productivity. This study was conducted in the dairy supply area of the Tadla irrigation scheme in Morocco and in the oasis area in southern Tunisia where dates are grown for export. The study was based on (i) a framework conceptualizing the relationship between production/marketing of agricultural raw...