Desire for Greener Land

Impacts of the Approach
Improved sustainable land management: Yes, moderate – farmers’ income increased after olive tree planting.
Adoption by other land users / projects: Yes, many - land users showed an increasing interest after the PMVB implementation.
Improved livelihoods / human well-being: Yes, a little - incomes have been improved a little, for the few land users who have
initially implemented this approach. This includes, however, only a small part of the population.
Improved situation of disadvantaged groups: -
Poverty alleviation: No, because the small farmers and landless peasants have not really benefited from the PMVB approach
Training, advisory service and research:
Training effectiveness
Land users - poor
SLM specialists - good
Agricultural advisor / trainers - good
Teachers - fair
School children / students – fair
Planners - fair
Politicians / decision makers – fair
Training was not very useful for land users because it had a very short
duration and it consisted only of a few trips and field visits.
Advisory service effectiveness
Land users - good
Politicians / decision makers - poor
Planners - poor
Teachers - poor
Technicians / conservation specialists – good
School children / students – poor
Technicians of the local work centres provided necessary advices for the
land users using tree growing
Land/water use rights slightly hindered the implementation of the approach. It was difficult to act on private land because of the fear of
land expropriation by the project. The approach moderately reduced the land/water use rights problem. The project approach is based
on incentives like contracting procedures and total financing of technology implementations done on private lands.
Long-term impact of subsidies: Low positive long-term impact and no negative long-term impact.
Seedlings have been provided free of charge by the Ministry of Agriculture to encourage land users to change the system, because 3 to
4 years are needed before the trees become productive. Furthermore, tree plantations stop animal breeding activities on that piece of
land. That is why this approach leads toward an integrated change. Incentives were not enough, and they were supplied more too large
land users who did not need them than to small land users.
Main motivation of land users to implement: Payments / subsidies, production and increased profit(ability), better cost-benefit-ratio.
SLM: Sustainability of activities: Yes, the land users can sustain the approach activities.
Concluding statements
Strengths and how to overcome Weaknesses and how to overcome
Creation of a local dynamic Support stakeholders organizations
Wide coverage of diverse agro-ecological zones Approach
extension towards the most disadvantaged agro-ecological zones
Implication of all local stakeholders and national or international
beneficiaries Strengthen the cooperation between the private
sector and every potential stakeholder
Development of assessment abilities at local and central scale
Spreading this assessment abilities and reinforce them
Land users support Strengthen local structures in charge of
agricultural extension
Financial support to help poor land users to implement SLM
technologies Subsidies for expensive SLM activities
Lack of agricultural strategies for this region, which is impaired by
the nearby growing urbanization Agriculture should not only be
planned when needs are dictated by the cities of Rabat and Salé
(primarily horticulture)
Low level of involvement of local stakeholders Elected local
people have to integrate agricultural development programmes in
their global strategies and not only suggest services in order to
win the elections
Few synergies between all development actors Because of the
proximity of Rabat and Salé, the management of this region is
done from the cities. Local autonomy can be a first step in more
local development involvement.
Few training and supervision for young people Incentive
measures for young people and women through developing their
human capacities
Inadequate government subsidies The government has to
provide help in order to meet the needs (fodder, support for poor
land users) in order to implement SLM activities, to change land
uses or to adopt more profitable cultivation
Key reference(s): Le PMVB des Sehoul, evaluation, Ministère de l’Agriculture, Direction Provinciale de l’Agriculture, Rabat-Salé, 2003.
Contact person(s): Nadia Machouri, Université Mohammed V, Rabat, nadachouri@yahoo.fr
212 DESIRE – WOCAT Desire for Greener Land