{"id":678406,"date":"2025-07-03T11:55:51","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T08:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/drought-hit-morocco-turns-to-desalination-to-save-vegetable-bounty\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T11:55:51","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T08:55:51","slug":"drought-hit-morocco-turns-to-desalination-to-save-vegetable-bounty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/drought-hit-morocco-turns-to-desalination-to-save-vegetable-bounty\/","title":{"rendered":"Drought-hit Morocco turns to desalination to save vegetable bounty"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c579e121c5\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c579e121c5\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/drought-hit-morocco-turns-to-desalination-to-save-vegetable-bounty\/#Pricey_water\" >Pricey water<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/drought-hit-morocco-turns-to-desalination-to-save-vegetable-bounty\/#Insufficient_groundwater\" >Insufficient groundwater<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/farmers-irrigate-their.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/farmers-irrigate-their.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Farmers irrigate their field in the Chtouka region of southern Morocco.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/farmers-irrigate-their.jpg\" alt=\"Farmers irrigate their field in the Chtouka region of southern Morocco\" title=\"Farmers irrigate their field in the Chtouka region of southern Morocco.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Farmers irrigate their field in the Chtouka region of southern Morocco.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>On the drought-stricken plains of Morocco&#8217;s Chtouka region, cherry tomato farms stretch as far as the eye can see, clinging to life through a single, environmentally contentious lifeline: desalination.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We wouldn&#8217;t be here without it,&#8221; said Abir Lemseffer, who manages production for the tomato giant Azura.<\/p>\n<p>Severe drought driven by climate change has gripped the North African country since 2018, leaving Azura&#8217;s 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of farms entirely dependent on desalinated water.<\/p>\n<p>But the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> comes at a high cost\u2014both financially and environmentally.<\/p>\n<p>It is energy-intensive, and in a country where more than half of the electricity still comes from coal, it carries a heavy carbon footprint.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2022, Morocco&#8217;s largest desalination plant, located nearby, has been producing 125,000 cubic meters (4.4 million cubic feet) of water a day.<\/p>\n<p>The supply irrigates 12,000 hectares of farmland and provides drinking water for 1.6 million people in Agadir and surrounding areas, said Ayoub Ramdi of the regional agricultural development office.<\/p>\n<p>By the end of 2026, officials hope to boost production to 400,000 cubic meters of water, half of which would be designated for agriculture.<\/p>\n<p>Without that water, &#8220;a catastrophic scenario would loom over Morocco&#8221;, said Rqia Bourziza, an agronomist.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/agriculture-has-been-b.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/agriculture-has-been-b.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Agriculture has been badly hit by six years of drought in Morocco.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/agriculture-has-been-b.jpg\" alt=\"Agriculture has been badly hit by six years of drought in Morocco\" title=\"Agriculture has been badly hit by six years of drought in Morocco.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Agriculture has been badly hit by six years of drought in Morocco.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Agriculture, which contributes about 12% to Morocco&#8217;s overall economy, has been badly hit by six consecutive years of drought\u2014prompting the country to go all-in on desalination.<\/p>\n<p>Across Morocco, there are 16 plants capable of producing 270 million cubic meters of water per year, with a target of reaching 1.7 billion cubic meters by 2030.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pricey_water\"><\/span>Pricey water<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While around 1,500 farmers in the Agadir region make use of the water provided by the plant, others don&#8217;t because it&#8217;s simply too expensive.<\/p>\n<p>Among them is Hassan, who grows courgettes and peppers on half a hectare of land and uses water from a well shared with 60 other farmers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t afford to use that water,&#8221; he said, declining to give his full name.<\/p>\n<p>Desalinated water is sold at $0.56 per cubic meter, excluding taxes, compared with $0.11 per cubic meter for conventional water.<\/p>\n<p>That hefty price tag comes despite a 40% subsidy from public coffers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/the-drought-has-prompt.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/the-drought-has-prompt.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"The drought has prompted the country to go all-in on desalination, and it now has 16 plants capable of producing 270 million cubic metres of water per year.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/the-drought-has-prompt.jpg\" alt=\"The drought has prompted the country to go all-in on desalination, and it now has 16 plants capable of producing 270 million cubic metres of water per year\" title=\"The drought has prompted the country to go all-in on desalination, and it now has 16 plants capable of producing 270 million cubic metres of water per year.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                The drought has prompted the country to go all-in on desalination, and it now has 16 plants capable of producing 270 million cubic metres of water per year.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ali Hatimy, another agronomist, said &#8220;the cost of desalinated water significantly reduces the range of potential crops because only very high-value-added crops can offset it&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Bourziza insisted that desalination was &#8220;a very good alternative&#8221; but only for high-value crops such as tomatoes and orchard fruits.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the financial cost, desalination also exerts an environmental cost, said Hatimy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The production of desalinated water requires tremendous amounts of electrical energy and brine discharges impact marine ecosystems,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Highly concentrated brine is a byproduct of the desalination process.<\/p>\n<p>Ramdi, from the agricultural development office, said that &#8220;no impact&#8221; had been observed in the waters around Agadir, adding that the brine was diluted before its release.<\/p>\n<p>While Morocco has a growing share of renewable energy, 62% of its electricity came from coal in 2023 and 14% from oil and gas, according to the International Energy Agency.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/farmers-say-their-surv.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/farmers-say-their-surv.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Farmers say their survival depends on the desalination plants.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/farmers-say-their-surv.jpg\" alt=\"Farmers say their survival depends on the desalination plants\" title=\"Farmers say their survival depends on the desalination plants.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Farmers say their survival depends on the desalination plants.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ads w-100 my-4 article-main__more bg-light p-3 border\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-3\">\n        Discover the latest in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>, tech, and space with over <strong>100,000 subscribers<\/strong> who rely on Phys.org for daily insights.<br \/>\n        Sign up for our <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\">free newsletter<\/a> and get updates on breakthroughs,<br \/>\n        innovations, and research that matter\u2014<strong>daily or weekly<\/strong>.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Insufficient_groundwater\"><\/span>Insufficient groundwater<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The stakes in the wider region of Souss-Massa, which accounts for 85% of Morocco&#8217;s fruit and vegetable exports, are high.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly two million tonnes are produced each year, with a turnover of $1.1 billion.<\/p>\n<p>Ramdi said the desalination plant had thus helped to protect $1 billion of revenue a year and more than a million jobs.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Desalination has saved agriculture in Chtouka,&#8221; said Mohamed Boumarg, walking through one of his tomato greenhouses.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Before, I only cultivated five hectares because I was constrained by the amount of water I had. Groundwater was not sufficient,&#8221; said the 38-year-old farmer who now grows 20 hectares of tomatoes, with 60% of his crop marked for export.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our survival depends on it,&#8221; said Lemseffer of Azura. &#8220;Either we accept sacrificing some of our margin by using desalinated water, or we close up shop.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \u00a9 2025 AFP\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDrought-hit Morocco turns to desalination to save vegetable bounty (2025, July 3)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 3 July 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-07-drought-morocco-desalination-vegetable-bounty.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-07-drought-morocco-desalination-vegetable-bounty.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Farmers irrigate their field in the Chtouka region of southern Morocco. On the drought-stricken plains of Morocco&#8217;s Chtouka region, cherry tomato farms stretch as far as the eye can see, clinging to life through a single, environmentally contentious lifeline: desalination. &#8220;We wouldn&#8217;t be here without it,&#8221; said Abir Lemseffer, who manages production for the tomato&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-678406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=678406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/678406\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=678406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=678406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=678406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}