Impact of meteorological drought on agriculture in the Tensift watershed of Morocco

Abstract

Located in the mid-west of Morocco, the Tensift watershed shelters the Takerkoust dam, which provides a part of the water used for irrigation of the N'fis agricultural area, which is an important irrigated area of the Tensift watershed. This study deals with the impact of droughts on water inflows to the Takerkoust dam and how the water shortage caused by droughts affects agricultural production in the N'Fis area. The standardized precipitation index (SPI) was used to illustrate the temporal evolution of drought periods. The trend observed on data showed that the Tensift watershed experienced a succession of droughts and humid periods of varying intensities. Periods of drought have negatively affected water inflows to the Takerkoust dam, and therefore the amount of water allocated to agricultural irrigation. Years that experienced droughts showed a restriction of more than 50% of water volume planned for irrigation. During periods of water scarcity, farmers reduce or completely avoid irrigation of annual crops to save water for irrigation of perennial crops. The water shortage for irrigation has led in some cases to a drop of up to 100% of the surface allocated to the production of annual crops.

Prospective analysis of spatial heterogeneity influence on the concordance of remote sensing drought indices: a case of semi-arid agrosystems in Morocco (Moulouya and Tensift watersheds)

“…The Tensift watershed is a large continental domain located in west-central Morocco between latitudes 32 10 0 and 30 50 0 North and longitudes 9 25 0 and 7 12 0 West on an area of about 20,450 km 2 or 2.7% of the total area of the country (Meliho et al 2020). It is one of the most important watersheds in Morocco by its extent, the heterogeneity of its relief and its strong mobilization of water resources.…”

“…In recent years, under the combined and cumulative effect of climatic and anthropogenic factors, they have become particularly sensitive to extreme climate variability (Malone et al 2016;Le Page and Zribi 2019;Fragaszy et al 2020). In the particular context of Mediterranean arid and semi-arid agroecosystems, drought is the most doubtful climatic hazard (Cook et al 2016;Ouatiki et al 2019;Fragaszy et al 2020;Meliho et al 2020;Hadri et al 2021). The unpredictable occurrence in time and space of drought sequences has serious socioeconomic and ecosystem consequences in regions heavily dependent on rainfall (Lui et al 2018;Sinha et al 2017;Cartwright et al 2020;Liu et al 2020;Liu et al 2016;Wu et al 2020;Jiao et al 2021).…”

Assessment of Drought Severity and Vulnerability in the Lam Phaniang River Basin, Thailand

“…Presently, the people living in the Northeast of Thailand are now facing a water scarcity problem almost every year, especially for household consumption during the dry season [1,2]. The continuation of rainfall variability due to climate change will also lead to severe drought, particularly water shortages for agriculture, which results in decreased soil moisture, affecting crop growth and its yield [3][4][5]. The likelihood of drought and climate change occurrences can also threaten other water users, particularly those in the industrial and ecological systems.…”

Analysis and impact of meteorological droughts in the agriculture of Puno region, Peru

“…Drought affects the level of precipitation, underground water storage, availability of soil moisture and water in rivers or reservoirs [8], Given the difficulty in defining its beginning and end, the onset of the drought may be delayed during its passage through the basin, causing a delay in the different types of droughts, prolonging the duration and attenuating the intensity of the anomalies [9]. Drought is a particular risk to agricultural production and productivity [10]. The impact of drought is governed by the magnitude, duration, frequency, and spatial extent of the precipitation deficit [11].…”