The Oum Er Rbia (OER) Hydraulic Basin is of strategic importance in Morocco as:

• The water resources of the basin are extremely important, as they are used in the strategic economic zone of Morocco (Tadla, Doukkala and the inshore zone Casablanca-Safi);
• The area concentrates economic activities (industry and irrigated agriculture) and a significant part of the population;
• The OER basin has already been the subject of important investments on hydraulic infrastructure. The basin has the largest number of dams among Morocco basins.
• The region that includes the OER basin and the adjacent to the south region, which depends for its water supply on the OER resources, is under water stress. Therefore, the Basin Agency is mainly oriented towards water demand management issues.

The increasing water stress experienced in the Oum Er Rbia Hydraulic Basin calls for a shift in water management policies, from the traditional, supply-side approach to demand management. As agriculture is the represents more than 80% of the total water demand, efforts focus primarily on increasing efficiency in irrigation water supply and use.

Highlighted aspects of the issue concern:

• The "Sharing" dimension:
  Water available for irrigation is shared with municipal uses and is also used for hydroelectricity production. In the latter case, the intermittent nature of flow for hydroelectricity, in order to meet peak energy demand, causes problems in downstream irrigation, as farmers require stable flows to irrigate. In this regard, and as the value of water in hydroelectricity is higher, it is necessary to ensure that the operational rules of the dam are known and understood by farmers, so that they can appropriately schedule the irrigation of their fields.
• The "Valuing" dimension:
  Current economic incentives provided by the State for the installation of modern irrigation systems are considered inadequate both by farmers and by decision-makers. It is thus recommended to: (a) increase the subsidies offered, and (b) direct grants to those who install the equipment, so that farmers do not have to pay the purchase and installation costs in advance and get the compensation/grant at a later stage.
• The "Governing" dimension:
  There is need to reinforce, by elaboration of the corresponding legislation and capacity building, the role of water user associations. Water user associations should take a more effective lead in developing farmers’ capacity, by providing training and education programmes, and act as intermediaries between individual users and decision-makers.

Decided action plan

One of the main outcomes of the local INECO Stakeholder Workshop implemented in Afourer, in March 2008, was the definition of an action plan oriented towards improved efficiency in irrigation water use.

The main axes of this plan, jointly agreed upon by the 35 stakeholders that participated in the event, included: (a) the enhancement of incentives for water conservation; and (b) the strengthening of the overall framework for the management of water resources in the Basin.

For the first objective, the following were agreed upon:

• Directing the 60% grant provided through the Agricultural Development Fund directly to those who install water saving equipment; the measure could address a common problem that small landowners face in paying the initial installation of equipment;
• Making water saving a regional priority, following the Souss experience, where water saving projects will be carried out as part of a partnership between the state (60%), the ABH Souss (20%) and the regional assembly (20%);
• Carrying out investigations on the cost per m³ of water saved and the corresponding positive economic impacts on farmers;
• Initiating the dissemination of legislative texts which regulate agency assistance in terms of water saving;
• Developing equitable mechanisms for the sharing of costs relating to the management and maintenance of water conveyance networks.

Suggested actions towards institutional reform and capacity building comprised the:

• Undertaking of initiatives to avoid overlaps between institutions involved in water management, by also strengthening the role of coordination structures such as the Basin agencies;
• Empowerment of water user associations so they can foster capacity building of farmers (education, training, increased awareness, etc.) and act as intermediaries with public authorities. In this respect, it is recommended to revise regulatory texts which concern agricultural water user associations in a way that allows more effective action;
• Encouragement of public-private partnerships;
• Involvement of politicians, researchers and users (farmers, ORMVA, ONE, professional associations, etc.) and the private sector in the overall process;
• Creating a strategic tracking unit, as means to obtain experience from initiatives developed in other regions.

The Morocco Stakeholder Workshop participants, Afourer, March 2008