No se puede aprehender la naturaleza del campesinado y de la ruralidad en el Magreb sin tener en cuenta el peso económico y social de la agricultura familiar. Las sociedades campesinas y rurales magrebíes son fundamentalmente sociedades estructuradas en torno al hogar y a los activos agrícolas, y la importancia...

It is a truism that modern Arab states, following in the footsteps of colonial powers, have concentrated on the socio-economic development of cities, particularly the capital, and badly neglected the provinces. The rulers and the nationalist intelligentsia tend to see peasants as backward and mired in “tradition” that can only...

This paper examines how economic growth in Egypt can be made more inclusive through a focus on rural development and reducing regional disparities. Nearly all of the extremely poor in Egypt live in rural areas and 83 percent of them live in Upper Egypt. The youth in those rural areas...

The present article aims to uncover the different meanings attached to land ownership in Palestine during the late Ottoman and British Mandate eras and to show how a ‘modern’ understanding of ownership was imposed on the local population, particularly the fellahin (peasants), without a consideration of their needs and traditions....

This work is the result of a collaborative effort and fieldwork in Upper Egypt, with the goal of highlighting the challenges faced by communities and livelihoods that are often overlooked in mainstream development projects. This field study draws attention to the context and challenges that are unique to fishers and...

This report reviews a case study of farmers’ perceptions of policies and regulations to improve water security in the Jordanian Badia. The aim is to improve water management and conservation by engaging all stakeholders, in particular farmers and rural communities, in this common goal.

This report is divided into three sections:  Section II outlines how priorities and items requiring follow-up emanating from the previous Regional Conference have been addressed, bringing to the attention of the Members major achievements and aspects requiring further consideration. The section will also draw lessons from the implementation of the...

The number of chronically undernourished people in the Region in 2010-13 reached 79.4 million, representing 11.2% of the population which was higher than in the 2008-2010 period. In addition, an estimated 31.0% of children under five are stunted. On the other side of the malnutrition spectrum, nearly one quarter of...

The UERDP constitutes a USD 20 million development investment financed by Government (almost USD 3.7 million) and IFAD (loan of USD 15 million and grant of USD 1 million). The project is contributing to reducing poverty and improving livelihoods of the rural poor in Qena and Assiut governorates of Upper...

This paper summarizes the main themes and recommendations of the document Regional Water Scarcity Initiative: Towards a Collaborative Strategy prepared as part of FAO’s ‘Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity’ in Near East and North Africa (NENA). The Regional Collaborative Strategy will complement and complete existing initiatives, will seek structured mechanisms...

According to the country’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, around 51 per cent of the population living in rural areas in Upper Egypt is poor. The factsheet focuses on this topic, arguing that although most people in Upper Egypt depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, smallholder farming in...

Morocco and Tunisia are considered among the countries where the scarcity of water resources may cause a serious constraint to the development of their economies. During the past, huge efforts have been made by both governments in order to satisfy an escalating water demand expressed by all users. The main...

Agriculture plays a significant role in Africa, accounting for about 30 per cent of GDP south of the Sahara, as well as a significant proportion of export value. Not surprisingly, in most African countries, 60 per cent or more of employees work in agriculture. Yet this barely scrapes the surface...

The main objectives of this paper are to evaluate the impact of water use efficiency improvement on water value and to estimate the potential of water cost reductions in durum wheat production in Central Tunisia. Results show that significant inefficiencies exist in the sample of farms under investigation. The effects...

The HSAD-Iraq program is a collaborative effort between the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and ICARDA. Special thanks for continued support and guidance to Dr. Mahdi El Kaisey (Technical Deputy Minister of Agriculture), Dr. Faisal Rasheed (Advisor to...

في الشرق الأدنى وشمال إفريقيا يفاقم النمو السكاني، والتوسع الحضري، وقاعدة الموارد الهشة، وتغير المناخ، وانخفاض الإنتاجية، من أوضاع الجوع وسوء التغذية. لكن انتشار "المدارس الحقلية الزراعية" في وادي الأردن ومختلف أنحاء البلاد ساعد المزارعين الأسريين على زيادة إنتاجهم ومداخيلهم ومرونتهم، بالإضافة إلى حماية البيئة.

The most important agricultural systems such as Pomegranate, Pistachio, and Saffron farming systems are irrigated by Qanat. The geographical regions around the Central Desert of Iran which is also one of the most traditional agricultural areas have been using the Qanat technology for providing water for agriculture and human consumption...

The topics covered in this Dossier concern 21 research units based in Languedoc-Roussillon Region, involving over 1 000 researchers whose activities are fully or partially focused on addressing—in collaboration with many partners—major family farming challenges in France and worldwide.The scientists have developed four multidisciplinary approaches to deal with family farming...

Le numéro 2 de la revue Alternatives Rurales est une revue qui a pour objectif d’offrir un espace de communication, réflexion et débat sur le développement rural et agricole au Maroc, mais aussi dans d’autres pays de la région.Cette revue s’adresse aux acteurs du développement agricole et rural, aux acteurs...

En Afrique du Nord, et en particulier au Maroc, les zones rurales connaissent un regain d’intérêt, avec en particulier des politiques publiques ambitieuses en termes de développement rural, agricole, et de gestion des ressources naturelles. De nombreux travaux de recherche sont menés dans ces zones rurales, cependant nombre d’entre eux...