ABSTRACT Morocco is a hot spot for climate change, and the impacts of regional decreases in precipitation are experienced acutely in the High Atlas Mountains. Irrigated terraces are central to High Atlas livelihoods and rely on irrigation systems that utilize community-based water allocation, enforced through local governance. This paper explores how irrigation water governance is coping with water scarcity in four villages in Al Haouz Province, based on surveys and focus group discussions. We found that governance and infrastructure have continued to function without increased social conflict, but cropping intensity has been reduced. Increasing drought events with progressive climate change are likely to erode the viability of cropping systems as a foundation for rural livelihoods in the High Atlas region. Pathways for increasing climate resilience should support the continuity of local irrigation systems through community-prioritized actions.
Woodmansee et al. (Wed,) studied this question.