The Difficult Escape From Dualism: The Green Morocco Plan at a Crossroads

Abstract

This article analyses the development effects of a foreign-owned almond farm in Morocco from the perspective of its role in affecting the dualism present in the Moroccan agricultural sector. The farm was situated on lands owned by the State, leased under the framework of the Green Morocco Plan and aimed at developing the country's agriculture. The Spanish-owned farm matches the criteria of agricultural production that Moroccan authorities hoped to expand according to this plan. Therefore, it is used here as an example to understand and reflect on how the Green Morocco Plan has been confronting the dualistic nature of the Moroccan agricultural sector.

The Green Morocco Plan in Boudnib: Examining Effects on Rural Livelihoods

“…With roots in colonialism, the GMP is also a result of neoliberalism and the “washington consensus”, beginning with Morocco’s first Structural Adjustment Plan in 1983 (Olivié & Pérez, 2018). Despite attracting 40–50% of all foreign investment inflows to North Africa in the 1990s and continuing to diversify economic activities and attract foreign investment in the 2000s, Morocco “continues to exhibit persistent poverty and acute inequality,” particularly in rural areas (Olivié & Pérez, 2018: 37; UNDP, 2016). This early phase study of a GMP irrigated agriculture project reveals substantial effects on rural livelihoods.…”