Analysis of the place and role of Opuntia (Opuntia ficus-indica) in the semiarid agrarian systems of Algeria through surveys and modeling

Abstract

During the drought period 1998-2002, Opuntia experienced substantial development in North Africa as a means of diversifying and complementing the feeding system. In this article, we seek to understand the role of Opuntia in the household economy of one village community in Algeria. We ask three questions: (i) does the development of Opuntia (as an innovation) allows faster live animal stocking; (ii) does it reduce the cereal production; (iii) does it lead to a reduction in inequalities inside the village community? To answer these questions, we conducted a farm survey on a panel sample (two periods, from 2002 to 2003) and developed a micro-simulation model, which makes it possible to highlight intragroup heterogeneity. The main results of this research indicate that public policy support, which facilitates the development of Opuntia, will probably induce a livestock accumulation in the small-scale farms and an increase in cereal production for all producers. However, we do not see large modifications in the distribution of the resources within the community. Indeed, the intragroup inequality seems to persist, linked mainly to the initial endowments.