Back to forests in pre-Saharan Morocco? When prickly pear cultivation and traditional agropastoralism reduction promote argan tree regeneration.

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Today, the international community agrees that climate change is one of the most important threats to the equilibrium of ecosystems. For its part, Morocco is not immune to this phenomenon because of climatic disturbances that the country has known for several years. Moroccan oases are among the most affected ecosystems by climate change, which has resulted in reduced yields of agricultural production, poverty, and deterioration of natural resources. The reports showed that in Morocco the area of palm groves has been significantly reduced during the last decades resulting from the upsurge of drought phenomena, soil salinity, and the spread of “Bayoud.” Therefore, the deterioration of the socio-economic and environmental importance of the date palm is well established. Aware of these issues, many actions have been initiated by the Moroccan government to preserve this ecosystem. The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of how climate change affects different levels of oases ecosystem in Morocco and to propose sustainable strategies to limit degradation of this vulnerable area.

Climate change may potentially disrupt progress toward a world without hunger. Today, a clear and consistent global pattern is perceptible of the different impacts of climate change on crop productivity that could have repercussions on food security. Consequently, the stability of the whole food systems may be at risk under climate change because of its unpredictable variations. Indeed, agricultural production is highly vulnerable even to 2°C predictions augmentation for global mean temperatures in 2100, with major implications for poverty and for food security. The climate change impacts seem to be clear in areas currently affected by hunger and undernutrition, which will heighten food insecurity in these parts of the world. Therefore, adapting food systems both to increase food security and to prevent future negative impacts from climate change will require attention to more than just agricultural production. The evidence sustains the need for thoughtful investment in adaptation and mitigation actions toward an efficient management of climate change influences on food security.