Severe Drought in Morocco Could Force 5% of Population to Migrate by 2025, World Bank Warns

The kingdom is experiencing one of the worst droughts in the last 30 years, leaving Moroccan farmers with virtually no other alternative. Morocco is one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of water and is rapidly approaching the absolute scarcity threshold set at 500 m³ per person per year, according to a World Bank report.

According to forecasts, climate migration is expected to increase over the next three decades, with the number of rural residents choosing to move potentially reaching 1.9 million, or 5.4% of the total population.

In reality, Moroccan farmers practice rainfed agriculture, which still accounts for 80% of the country’s cultivated area and employs the majority of agricultural workers. This method is a pillar of food security in rural areas in Morocco.

To prevent this exodus, the state has undertaken a major overhaul of its agricultural policy, and has adopted hydro-agricultural development choices adapted to the new climate situation. In this sense, the government has decided, among other things, to restrict the areas of certain crops (especially market gardening and fodder) pending the improvement of dam stocks, to adopt supplementary irrigation according to the regions and water availability, and to ensure the monitoring of the implementation of the various irrigation-related programs and projects.