The adoption of sustainable development indicators in agricultural practices in the Gharb region (Morocco)

Abstract

Many studies were carried out in Morocco to show that the dynamics of the market gardening is characterized by frequent use and often uncontrolled use of chemical inputs to the detriment of the preservation of natural resources, the health of consumers and the producers themselves. This reality, calls for appropriate structural actions, based on the levels of sustainability of the sector. The IDEA method (Farm Sustainability Indicators) is one way of giving practical expression to the concept of sustainable farms. Based on 40 sustainability indicators covering the three dimensions of sustainability: agro-ecological, socio- territorial, and economic. Using the IDEA method, we conducted this research with a view to analyze the sustainability of market gardening exploitations in three rural communities: Mnasra, Sidi Mohamed Benmansour, and Benmansour. We conducted questionnaire interviews with 180 producers. The results obtained have generally shown that the market gardening farms in this region have low sustainability scores. The sustainability of farms is lowest on the socio-territorial scale due to the absence of product quality approaches, poor human development, and poor employment conditions and services. On the economic scale, the low viability stands out. The agro-ecological scale shows higher values due to the good organization of space and diversified systems.