The impact of agricultural policies on agrobiodiversity management in a pre-Rif farming system in Morocco: what implications for resilience?

Océane Cobelli (), Irene Teixidor-Toneu, Salama El Fatehi, Younes Hmimsa, Christian Leclerc and Vanesse Labeyrie
Additional contact information
Océane Cobelli: CIRAD, UMR SENS
Irene Teixidor-Toneu: UMR IMBE, IRD
Salama El Fatehi: TEDAEEP team, Abdelmalek Essaadi University (Polydisciplinary Faculty, Larache)
Younes Hmimsa: TEDAEEP team, Abdelmalek Essaadi University (Polydisciplinary Faculty, Larache)
Christian Leclerc: CIRAD, UMR AGAP institut
Vanesse Labeyrie: CIRAD, UMR SENS

Agriculture and Human Values, 2025, vol. 42, issue 3, No 6, 1285-1305

Abstract: Abstract Agrobiodiversity is widely recognized as essential for smallholder agriculture, particularly for enhancing resilience to disruptions which are increasingly frequent and intense. However, whether agricultural policies support or hinder agrobiodiversity in these systems remains debated. A deeper understanding of how policies intersect with other change drivers and local practices is crucial to improving decision-making. Using a case study from northwest Morocco, this research explores the complex interplay between public policies and other factors affecting local agrobiodiversity management. This study is based on the analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with 48 farmers documenting the changes in their farm and agrobiodiversity management system, and comparing it with that of their parents, as well as the perceived drivers of these changes. The results of this analysis were cross-checked with literature on agricultural policies. Our results show that major changes in agrobiodiversity management systems occurred at three levels: (i) seeds and varieties of annual crops; (ii) farming activities (i.e., crop species and livestock); and (iii) associated agricultural practices from plot to landscape. Public policies were found to be important drivers of these changes but interacted with other drivers such as climate change, rural exodus and other societal and economic shifts. Nevertheless, our research also highlights the persistence of local practices and motivations that sustain agrobiodiversity despite strong pressures, particularly through culinary practices, crop rotation, and agroforestry. This study underscores the complex, context-specific interactions that shape local agrobiodiversity management systems. It discusses the implications of changes in agrobiodiversity management systems on the resilience of farm livelihoods, and emphasizes the need to recognize local distinctiveness in adapting these systems to global change.

Keywords: Morocco; Resilience; Livelihood; Agrobiodiversity management; Public policies; Agricultural systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10460-025-10724-1 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:42:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s10460-025-10724-1

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/10460

DOI: 10.1007/s10460-025-10724-1

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture and Human Values is currently edited by Harvey S. James Jr.

More articles in Agriculture and Human Values from Springer, The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().