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Perceptions and strategies of adaptation of Moroccan farmers to climate change—case of Khemisset province

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Abstract

Climate change has emerged as one of our most pressing global challenges, with far-reaching implications for various sectors, including agriculture. The Earth’s climate is undergoing significant changes, primarily driven by human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. These changes result in rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events. Consequently, the agricultural sector, which relies heavily on stable climatic conditions, faces numerous challenges threatening global food security and livelihoods. The present study deals with the issue of climate change and its impact on yields and agricultural production in the province of Khemisset. The methodology used is a combination approach of quantitative and qualitative research. Among other tools for processing data were descriptive statistics and principal component analysis. In total, 120 research units are surveyed in the study area; the number of farmers is not homogeneous, and four categories of producers have been formed to analyze the perceptions and farmer strategies developed. They have been chosen according to the soil, vegetation, and livestock type. The main conclusions derived from the study results are: We observed a negative evolution of climate parameters during the period 1985–2015. Virtually all the producers of the area studied perceive a negative evolution of the different climatic parameters, which is consistent in most cases with the analysis of meteorological data. The changes and climate variability have negative impacts on agriculture. The local populations have a good understanding of the evolution of agricultural yields. Using fertilizers, crop rotation, early varieties of crops, and other types of adaptations are the responses of some farmers from the Zemmour tribes to the effects of climate change. Climate change is already affecting agriculture and will continue to do so. It is crucial to highlight the immediate requirement for inclusive measures to address and adjust to the consequences of climate change on agriculture to guarantee the endurance, sustainability, and food security of our agricultural systems.

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Abbreviations

GDP:

Gross Domestic Product

IPCC:

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

NIAR:

National Institute for Agricultural Research

SPSS:

Statistical Package for Social Science

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Acknowledgements

We want to express our gratitude to local farmers in the study area for their invaluable assistance in recording indigenous perceptions and strategies for adaptation to climate change. Additionally, we would like to express our gratitude to everyone who assisted in completing this task.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agri-food and Health Research Laboratory, ESEFB, Hassan First University of Settat, Po Box 382, 26000, Settat, Morocco

    Noureddine Chaachouay

  2. Plant, Animal Productions and Agro-industry Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, B.P. 133, 14000, Kenitra, Morocco

    Lahcen Zidane

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  1. Noureddine Chaachouay
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  2. Lahcen Zidane
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N.C. conceived of and designed the project, supervised the study, and wrote the paper. L.Z. checked and corrected the final draft. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Noureddine Chaachouay.

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Chaachouay, N., Zidane, L. Perceptions and strategies of adaptation of Moroccan farmers to climate change—case of Khemisset province. J Environ Stud Sci 14, 313–327 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-024-00889-2

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