Participatory Management of Irrigation Water in Morocco: Lessons from a Case Study in Souss-Massa Region

In Morocco, irrigated agriculture is a major component of the economy and for more than 20 years, the government has been moving toward the development of irrigation infrastructure to achieve agricultural and economic development objectives. However, issues related to climate change and irrigation water management continue to threaten water security in many regions of the country. Therefore, several policies and measures have been introduced to ensure optimal management of irrigation water. This article aims to evaluate the appropriation of the participatory management policy by a community of farmers, through the analysis of the transition from community management to participatory management of irrigation in a village in Souss-Massa region. To bring out all the information on our research, we opted for a qualitative study based on individual interviews and then we proceeded to a descriptive analysis of the content of qualitative data. The results of this study showed that there is an ineffective appropriation of the participatory management of irrigation since the collective action seems to be absent in the association created as part of this policy, while many forms of collective action are carried out daily between the villagers.