General objective

This project aims to understand how small farmers and their families have been affected by this health crisis combined with a year of drought and to assess the impact of the interventions undertaken by OCP and other partners in the areas concerned (region of Rhamna).

Detailed Objectives 

In order to understand how small farmers in the Rhamna region and their households have been affected by Covid and the drought and how they have adjusted to the situation thanks to the aid received in particular by OCP, a survey focusing on small-holder farmers (PMA) and their exploitation will be carried out.
Based on this survey, we will model the behavior of these small agricultural households and assess the impact of the aid received.
Based on this modeling and collected data, we will also propose effective and improved mitigation mechanisms, as well as the evaluation of the inclusive value chain approach as a mechanism for improving living conditions both monetary and non-monetary. currencies of small-holder farmers.
Finally, this action research project will provide an opportunity to set up a pilot community monitoring system in one or two rural districts in the Rhamna area. 

Project Themes and Topics

In the framework of the call for projects: 

Theme/Area: Social and Solidarity Economy
Topics/Themes: 

• Informal sector and sustainability
• Post-crisis economic development

Complementary topics: 

• Agricultural households and welfare
• Impact assessment of support measures for farmers (OCP - Others)
• Community monitoring system

Amount Granted

499 016,67 MAD

Project Duration

12 months

Partners and Funders

Project Team

• Touhami Abdelkhalek
• Dorothée Boccanfuso
• Luc Savard
• M. Benkassmi, specialist in statistical survey design and data collection
• Other project participants 
• OCP and UM6P: logistics and administrative procedures
• Bachelor/Master students for data collection from small farming households and supervision

Context

In agriculture, small farms are:

• Source of most rural employment
• Main activity of poor households 
• High vulnerability of these households to climatic shocks and health crises

How to better help them cope with these negative shocks and exceptional situations and thus improve the well-being of these households.

Research areas 

Area 1: 

• Data collection form about 1,600 farm households in the region (beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries).
• Methodological developments and applications: farm household model with its specificities. 
• Development of quasi-experimental impact analysis methods and applications. 
• Development of a community-based monitoring system (CBS). 

Areas 2 & 4: 

• Assess and understand the situation of small-scale farming households in terms of welfare (poverty, inequality) and diagnose the impact of the pandemic and/or drought. 
• Assess the impacts of aid received by small farmers in the region on these households and propose effective and improved mitigation mechanisms in this context. 
• Assess the inclusive value chain approach as a mechanism for improving both monetary and non-monetary livelihoods of small-holder farmers 
• Establish a community-based monitoring system that will be done by the households themselves and their community for proper monitoring of their welfare condition and put in place adaptation measures.