Plasticulture farming in semi-arid regions under climate change: sustainable water resource management and inclusive socio-economic development

project summary

Agricultural farming in greenhouses covered with plastic films – so-called plasticulture – has developed rapidly in recent years. This type of irrigated farming system is well-established in Mediterranean parts of Europe and it has become a cost-effective way of intensifying smallholder-based agricultural activities in arid and semi-arid areas of the global South. This research project brings together key expertise from the University of Copenhagen and Ibn Zohr University in Morocco to examine plasticulture development in an area dominated by horticultural production in the Souss-Massa region of Morocco. The area is one of the most important regions for agricultural production and exports in Morocco and it provides a livelihood for thousands of farmers and agricultural laborers. Notably exports of water-intensive fresh vegetables to the EU have grown tremendously in recent years. However, the Souss-Massa region is experiencing an alarming water shortage, a result of decreasing precipitation and increasing frequency of droughts due to climate change in combination with overexploitation of water resources for irrigation of vegetables produced in plasticulture. The objective of the research project is to provide new knowledge on pathways to an economic, socially, and environmentally sustainable development of horticulture clusters under conditions of climate change. Theoretically, the project will combine and further advance theory on socio-economic development in clusters with theory on global value chain dynamics. This approach offers a new and innovative way of examining sustainable development trajectories in rural areas characterized by deep integration in the world market. It also provides a solid basis for recommendations to cope with an urgent need for joint initiatives to ensure adaptation to water scarcity caused by climate change and the nature of production. Empirically, the project examines 1) how governance structures and local institutions condition regional economic development and how water scarcity is dealt with on both firm and cluster level, 2) how living and working conditions of workers are affected by the economic development in the cluster, paying attention to the position of vulnerable groups, 3) how and to which extent regulatory mechanisms for water management influence current irrigation practices among plasticulture producers, 4) how climate change and intensification of plasticulture activities affect groundwater resources.