nena soil partnership conference -morocco 3-6-2015dr. moussadek rachid introduction . 02/06/2015 2...
TRANSCRIPT
02/06/2015
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NENA Soil Partnership Conference: towards a regional
implementation plan on sustainable management of soil resources
1-3 June 2015, Amman, Jordan
Status of Soil Resources and Priorities towards
Sustainable Soil Management
Challenges, Opportunities, National Policies and Institutional Mechanisms
Country: Morocco Dr. Moussadek Rachid
Introduction
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Moroccan agriculture
Distribution of agricultural land
Uncultivated
44%
Rangelands
30%
Forest
8%Alfalfa
5%Agricultural lands
13%
Rainfed
88%
Irrigared
12%
9 Millions Ha
Favorable
rainfed
33%
Unfavorable
rainfed
67%
Source : Direction of Vegetal Production, Source : Direction of Vegetal Production, Ministry of Agriculture of MoroccoMinistry of Agriculture of Morocco
Population growth
• Population growth resulted in
increased reliance on continuous
cropping and hence in soil nutrient
mining and drawdown of active
organic matter.
• As population grows and puts
more pressure on soils, so it is
expected that food insecurity will
also grow.
0
20
40
60
80
100
Pop
ulat
ion
in m
illio
ns
1900 1925 1950 1975 2000 2025 Years
Algeria Egypt Morocco
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Drought is becoming a structural factor
- Extreme variation in climate is
becoming the rule rather than
the exception.
- Any month of the « rainy »
season (october to april) can be
absolutly dry or abnormally
wet.
- Economic instability is a
trademark of the region.
average = 365 mmCV = 33 %
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Year
An
nu
al
Ra
infa
ll (
mm
)
Soils of Morocco
7,4
7,6
7,8
8
8,2
8,4
8,6
8,8
9
9,2
9,4
1971
1982
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2001
2003
Year
Agr
icul
tura
l Are
a (M
illio
ns H
a)
No more suitable agricultural lands
Evolution Agricultural lands (ha/person)
World bank, 2014
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Introduction
• The total area covered by soil survey is estimated to 20 M ha.
It is mostly concentrated in the North and central western
part the country, north of the Atlas Mountains.
• At present, only about 30 % of national soil resources are
mapped and characterised at detailed scale (<1/250 000).
• The French soil classification system (CPCS of 1967) is almost
the unique legend used. A schematic general soil map of
Morocco was prepared at the scale of 1:2 500 000.
Characterization of soil resources
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Exemple of Soil Maps
Maps (1/500.000)
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Map (1/2,5M)
Moroccan soil resources
Soil maps
National irrigated agriculture program launched in 1967
1/20.000 and 1/10.000 soil maps covering 2.5 millions Ha
National rainfed areas development program launched at 80s
1/50.000 and 1/100.000 soil maps covering 6.12 millions Ha
Moroccan dominant soils
1 – North and North-West: Luvisols, Vertisols, Kastanozems, Chernozems, Phaeozems, Cambisols
2 – South and South-East: Lithosols, Regosols, Rendzinas, Xerosols, Yermosols, Fluvisols
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Moroccan soil resources
Moroccan dominant soils
1 – North and North-West: Luvisols, Vertisols, Kastanozems, Chernozems, Phaeozems, Cambisols
2 – South and South-East: Lithosols, Regosols, Rendzinas, Xerosols, Yermosols, Fluvisols
Major soil constraints affecting sustainable
agricultural production and development
• Soil erosion is the most important soil degradation
process in Morocco. The total annual soil loss is
evaluated to 100 millions tons.
• Soil depth (limits soil depth). This is a major constraint
limiting the agricultural arable land in Morocco. A
survey per-formed in different regions of the country
showed that about 2 millions ha could be re-claimed by
subsoiling and stones removal.
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Soil quality changes in irrigated perimeters
Many studies conducted in the irrigated perimeters have shown that
irrigation leads generally to soil and water quality deterioration. The
major degradations are:
• Salinisation, surface sealing, rising of saline groundwater, reduction of
soil drainage, soil compaction. At present, the surface area of saline soils
is estimated to about 0,8-1 Mha.
• Loss of organic matter. A mean soil organic matter is low than 2 %
Major soil constraints affecting sustainable
agricultural production and development
Major challenges of soil resources
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WRB
Leptosols
Regosols
Calcisols
Kastanozems
Vertisols
Etc….
Major soils in Morocco
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The Moroccan soil information system needs to be improved by:
• Updating the existent soil database;
• Establishment of new specialised national and regional GIS laboratories to improve the storing capacity and interpretation of soil information;
• Training of new pedologists and technicians for new approach of soil mapping;
• A national program of soil inventory and mapping is needed to complete soil survey in Morocco and to coordinate the activity between specialisedscientific institutions, research centers, and the administration.
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Exemples of recents projects
related to soils resources
Land Evaluation for rainfed agriculture
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Land Evaluation for rainfed agriculture
National agricultural soils’ fertility map project
Online webmapping
