Farmers in Morocco are pivoting to new crops or halting operations altogether as droughts continue to wreak havoc on the North African kingdom, with one researcher telling Bloomberg that growing grain has become "synonymous to misery."
What's happening?
Bloomberg reported in June that Moroccan farmers are suffering as drought conditions are leading to a crisis impacting crop yields, putting the kingdom on track to import record levels of wheat to keep food on its people's tables.
"We haven't had a good year since 2000, and the last three years were the worst," said 77-year-old farmer Mohamed Sadiri, who is now planting the more climate-resilient barley instead of his usual wheat.
Aicha Ouachou, who, along with 10 co-workers, won a government prize for couscous as part of King Mohammed VI's program to support women's economic participation, has also been affected by the dry conditions.
She told Bloomberg that her cooperative decided to forgo the growing season, with the grain being too low-quality and expensive at 7,300 dirhams per ton. When the cooperative started in 2014, that same amount of grain cost 4,000 dirhams. The women only make around 6,000 dirhams a year (around $50 per month at the current exchange rate).
"I just can't wrap my mind around what happened," Ouachou said, per Bloomberg.
Why is this important on a global scale?
At this point, it is unclear when farmers will have some relief, with the kingdom now in the sixth year of drought, per Africanews.
Studies suggest certain regions experience yearslong droughts as part of the planet's natural climate cycles. However, experts overwhelmingly agree that human activities — like the burning of dirty fuels — are supercharging extreme weather, leading to an uptick in the frequency and intensity of events like droughts as global temperatures warm.
In Morocco, the situation has resulted in higher unemployment rates, with around 200,000 rural jobs lost amid the miserable conditions, as Bloomberg explains.
"Farming cereals has become synonymous to misery in the Moroccan countryside," said Abderrahim Handouf from the state-run National Institute of Agricultural Research
Moreover, it caused grocery prices to rise, and experts warn it could also be a "bad omen" for the security of the food supply chain. For example, as part of its goal to lower food costs at home, Morocco has begun limiting exports of staples like onions and potatoes to West Africa, as fruit and vegetable farmers have also struggled as droughts ravage the region.
What is being done about this?
Morocco is working to improve the situation, according to Bloomberg, recommending small farms that "contribute to national food security" receive priority shipments of supplies.
"Moroccan agriculture finds itself in an unprecedented critical situation," the Royal Institute for Strategic Studies said in a February report quoted by the news outlet.
Scientists in the kingdom have also developed more drought-resistant, high-yield crops, as well as agricultural technologies that leverage techniques such as drip irrigation (which requires less water to support crop growth).
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