The Drâa Valley, stretching over 200 kilometers, is one of the great oasis axes of pre-Saharan Morocco. Since the early 2000s, the six palm groves along the valley have experienced profound changes linked to successive dry years, soil salinization and crop diversification practices.
This contribution presents the results of field surveys carried out in Zagora, Tinzouline and M'Hamid between 2018 and 2024. It highlights three major dynamics: the gradual abandonment of undercrops beneath date palms, the emergence of export watermelon cultivation, and the reshaping of ties between villages and diasporas in large Moroccan cities and in Europe.
Dr. Hassan Ait Bouhou
Université Cadi Ayyad — Marrakech