Agriculture in the Rif and Tell mountains of North Africa

Maurer, Gérard, 1924

article

Agriculture in the Rif and Tell mountains of North Africa

Mountain research and development • 12 (4) • Published In 1992 • Pages: 337-347

By: Maurer, Gérard, 1924.

Abstract
This paper challenges the results of much of the earlier research that has drawn a picture of agricultural collapse, land abandonment, and outmigration of the Rif and Tell mountains of the Mghreb of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. It shows that there is no simple pattern of rural mountain socioeconomic stagnation and collapse. A much more complicated system of agricultural recession and expansion has occurred with wide diversity in both time and space. These spatial and temporal contrasts are explained by physical, cultural, and political factors including variations in bedrock and soil, local climate, and historical background. While much of the land has been abandoned in certain areas, remittances from out-migrating wage-earners, illegal traffic in hashish, and a host of local developments have led to great improvements in rural village infrastructure and in individual households. For the most part there is widespread agricultural expansion, although this is offset by increased soil erosion and reduced availability of water.

Subjects

Tillage

Cereal agriculture

Topography and geology

Land use

Water supply

Settlement patterns

Cultural identity and pride

Labor supply and employment

Research and development

Real property

Economic planning and development