Pluriactivity, the Dutch disease and sustainable agriculture in Algeria

Abstract

Abstract Agriculture and rurality have come under severe pressure in the last few decades. The loss of agricultural land and, hence, farming, through urban expansion has been pervasive. As a consequence, farmers tend to engage in pluriactivity to supplement their low farm income. This study explores the pervasiveness and underlying motivation behind pluriactivity by Algerian farmers. Algeria is a particularly interesting case where agriculture has been hit by severe and unique challenges. In particular, Algerian farmers spent more than a decade under the threat of terrorism, followed by a decade and a half of Dutch disease effects. The analysis of a survey data shows that pluriactivity has offered the Algerian farmer the required adaptation capability to survive these two challenges which, ultimately, would sustain agriculture in Algeria.