The Mashreq and Maghreb project phase III (M&MIII) is carried out in the North East of Morocco.¶ Its goal is the formulation of technical, political and institutional options which allow (i) reinforcing the local communities, (ii) promoting the production systems sustainability and (iii) preserving the natural resources. Its finality is to generate a Community Development Plan (CDP) capable of mobilizing the local actors around common development problems. The active participation of the population in this process is the key of the project success. It must be present during all the steps of the CDP.
The project Mashreq-Maghreb in its third phase (M&MIII) covers the corridor Taourirt Tafoghalt which belongs to the East of Morocco. The choice of the study area takes account of the establishment of the Rural Development Taourirt Tafoghalt Project (PDRTT). This project is considered, for the M&M III, as a strategic partner for the common objectives which aim at the development and the implementation of the Community development plan (CDP). The multidisciplinary and inter-institutional research team defined Ouled Slimane and Sekkouma Irzaine as a socio-territorial units.
The selection criteria of the community, in reference to the application of the participatory approach used, are founded on the basic concept of a unit with strong social cohesion and homogeneity of space management. Moreover, the choice takes into account the agro pastoral aspect of the community.
The region is characterized by an arid climate. Precipitations are low and variable in time and space. The annual average varies generally from the 190 to 250 mm. Agriculture associated with the livestock constitutes the principal source of income for the population.
The principal features of the adopted methodology are:
- Characterization of the community : During this step the activities carried out aim at a thorough knowledge of the community and a sensitizing of the population on the objectives of the process and the study approach.
- Participatory diagnosis : The participative identification of the constraints has been achieved with and by three groups of the target population: heads of households (adult), women and young person. The three categories worked simultaneously. The results of the participatory diagnosis were validated at a plenary sitting and allowed to identify practical solutions for the various constraints of development.
- Participatory Planning and programming : This step aims to study the feasibility of suggested solutions before carrying out the programming phase. We took account of the knowledge of the INRA researchers to study solutions relating to research. The actors of development carried their expertise on the actions which are related to the development. And the point of view of the population is essential because of their local interesting knowledge.
- Organizing the community and promotion of the local institutions : The meetings made in this issue treated the operating modes of the existing structures to identify the constraints. The goal resides in making out the strengths and the weaknesses of these basic organizations in order to define the possible improvements.
Moroccan IFAD program evaluation :
http://www.ifad.org/gbdocs/eb/ec/e/50/e/EC-2007-50-WP-3-e.pdf
