Environmental change and rural livelihoods in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco

Abstract

The High Atlas Mountains of Morocco are recognized as global hotspot for rapid environmental change, but there is limited information about how communities and households are responding to these changes. Rural livelihoods that are dependent on agriculture are highly vulnerable to intensifying climate extremes, especially when these stressors intersect with long-term socioeconomic trends including out-migration to urban centers. In 2022–2023, we carried out a household surveys and focus group discussions to understand the evolution of livelihood strategies in four Amazigh villages in Imegdal Commune in the western High Atlas. Results suggest that water shortages are causing cropping systems to simplify as households stop planting some crop species and reduce the area planted to others. Households are also reducing livestock numbers in response to the current multi-year drought and reductions in labor availability created by migration. Other natural resource-based activities, including beekeeping and collecting wild herbs, are being abandoned. This study suggests that decreasing precipitation is rapidly undermining the viability of agricultural activities in the High Atlas. In the absence of viable adaptation strategies, this could lead to a profound restructuring of rural livelihoods across the region.