The Morocco Stakeholder Consultation Meeting was held at the premises of the Agency of the Oum Er Rbia Hydraulic Basin (AHB/OER) on May 30^th 2007, and was attended by the following persons:

• Mr. ZEROUALI Abdelaziz, Director of the AHB/OER
• Mr. BACHIRAT, Engineer to the AHB / OER
• Mr. CHAYAT Mohamed, Department Amenities ORMVAT (Office of Agricultural Enhancement of the Tadla)
• Mr. BELLOUTI Aziz, ORMVAT  
• Mr. SAAF Mohamed, ORMVAT (Department Management)
• Mr. SGHIR Fathallah, ORMVAH (Haouz)
• Mr. NASSIRI Hamid, Service Exploitation ORMVAD (Doukkala) 
• Mr. EDDAHBI Ahmed, Doukkala Farmers’ Association 
• Mr. RIAD Mohamed, Tadla Farmers’ Association 
• Mr. AFFIA Abderrahmane, ISKANE Ingénierie (INECO Regional Partner)
  

The analysis of relevant data and subsequent discussions with AHB/OER resulted in defining “wasteful water use in the Oum Er Rbia Hydraulic Basin (OER)” as the case study to be undertaken in Morocco within the framework of INECO. The case study will emphasize on the agricultural sector, which is the main water use throughout the basin. The volume of water produced is approximately 3.8 billion m³/yr, whereas losses are estimated at 2 billion m³. Therefore, there is a pressing need to reduce pressure on available resources through demand management efforts, as water supply cannot be substantially increased (water resources in the OER have in their largest part already been exploited).

The main conclusions drawn from the discussions held were that:

1. According to the stakeholders consulted, the main factor driving change in water management in the region is farmers’ behaviour.
2. The most important actors for raising awareness and shaping farmers’ behaviour are the local Farmers’ Associations, which should support and provide the necessary means for improving efficiency in water use. The identification of possible support measures and actions in this field would appear promising.

For example, if the State grants 60% of the total cost for the implementation of drip irrigation and the measure still does not have the anticipated effect, the cause should be sought at the user level (farmer). In this case, corrective (even punitive) action can be taken only by the Farmer Association. Similarly, a change of cropping patterns to other, less water intensive and probably more profitable, requires convincing farmers, a task which falls again under the responsibility of Farmer Associations.

Finally, the current situation of land repartition (mostly small fields – microparcels) hinders many development measures and does not favour the implementation of measures that allow for water saving (e.g. metering, drip irrigation systems). The re-organization of infrastructure, and therefore land re-allotment necessitates action from local farmer associations, which should convince farmers of the necessity of such actions. Similar practices were adopted in neighbouring countries (e.g. Spain), where farmer associations even provided loans to farmers. It became evident that their role was of vital importance due to their immediate contact with farmers. In fact, providing support, raising awareness and ensuring continuous education to farmers are necessary, as their role is impossible to circumvent.

In conclusion, it was suggested to limit the INECO analysis on how to enhance the role of Farmers’ Associations in influencing the behaviour of end users, as this is one of the major factors contributing to the focal problem. The issue will be more clarified by stakeholders in forthcoming meetings. These suggestions could lead on a pilot project, for which guidelines could be drawn within the framework of INECO.