Reinventing the wheel: adapting a traditional circular irrigation system to ‘modern’ agricultural extensions in Algeria’s Sahara

Abstract

One of the most elaborate community initiatives for the management of groundwater consists of managed aquifer recharge and use. In the oases in the M’zab valley in the Algerian Sahara, the collective action that upholds these initiatives has been challenged in past decades by the development of intensive groundwater use with individual pumps in new agricultural areas. However, faced with water shortage and inspired by the more circular irrigation practices in oases, farmers are increasingly creating local use loops in these extension areas by installing recharge devices and using water more carefully. This study analyzes the functioning of the circular managed aquifer recharge and use system in Beni Isguen oasis, and how farmers have reinvented it in agricultural extensions, creatively combining it with modern technologies to engage in market-oriented agriculture. Reinventing circular practices in new agricultural extensions can contribute to more environmentally sustainable forms of agriculture.

Analysis of the availability and water requirements of dryland farming and the water needs of residents in Hiri Island, Ternate City, North Maluku

“…Still, it must be based on the biophysical conditions of the land and the socioeconomic conditions of island farmers (Pujiono et al, 2021;Hatta et al, 2023). Apart from that, the types of farming crops, apart from being market-oriented, are also adapted to the culture of the local community (Saidani et al, 2022) as well as agricultural technology input, which aims to strengthen the local wisdom of the community, especially the knowledge of island farmers, thereby creating a balance between meeting economic needs and environmental sustainability, strengthening farmer institutions (Achmad et al, 2022). The study by Umasugi et al (2022) highlighted that plantation crops and farming of food crops and vegetables are characteristic of island areas, which are hilly and have a slightly sloping to sloping topography.…”

Caring for Groundwater: How Care Can Expand and Transform Groundwater Governance

“…We do this by discussing diverse forms of caring for groundwater that we have collected through an extensive collaborative action-research project that documented grassroots initiatives of people who organize around groundwater in parts of the world -Algeria, Morocco, Peru, Zimbabwe, and India -where pressures on aquifers are particularly acute. 2 More in-depth details of the initiatives discussed here can be found in previously published articles (Chitata et al, 2021 and2022;Mayaux et al, 2022;Saidani et al, 2022;Bhat et al, 2023;Bossenbroek et al, 2023;Cleaver et al, 2023;Kuper et al, 2023;Leonardelli et al, 2023;Saidani et al, 2023). These articles document diverse experiences of individuals or communities consciously holding on to principles of frugality, solidarity or sharing, enacting those through wisely crafted institutions or infrastructures.…”