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Environment and Organic Farming in Consumer Preferences and Agricultural Strategy in Morocco

Bennasseur Alaoui, Rachid Hamimaz*

The development of organic farming in Morocco is still low compared to countries with a similar development structure such as Tunisia, but it has gained interest from both agricultural producers and urban consumers. It now counts as an important axis of Morocco's new agricultural policy (Generation Green). However, if the preservation of a threatened environment is crucial for the country, this issue does not count either in the consumers' motivations or in the priorities of the agricultural strategy. The demand for organic food is essentially motivated by health and nutrition issues. As for the Moroccan agricultural policy, it suffers from contradictions: concern for developing organic farming and encouragement of farmers to intensify the use of phytosanitary products and pesticides. The country would benefit greatly from encouraging the adoption of organic and conservation agriculture practices in all of its diverse ecological systems (including oases, mountains, arid and semi-arid regions, and sub-humid regions), such as zero or minimum tillage. Moroccan farmers would gain in efficiency and net margins.