Sustainability Challenges in Morocco’s Agri-Food Sector: Balancing Ecological Constraints, Economic Performance, and Public Policy

Résumé

Abstract

The agri-food sector constitutes a strategic pillar of the Moroccan economy, contributing between 13% and 20% of GDP, employing nearly 40% of the active population, and accounting for approximately 19% of exports, while playing a crucial role in food security. However, this economic significance is accompanied by increasing environmental pressures, notably water stress, soil degradation, and the impacts of climate change. This article analyzes the interplay between economic integration and environmental integration of Morocco’s agri-food sector through the lens of sustainability principles, sustainable natural resource management, and the theoretical foundations of incentive theory and externality theory. The analysis shows that national agricultural strategies, particularly the Green Morocco Plan (2008–2020) and the Generation Green strategy (2020–2030), have fostered sector modernization, productivity improvements, and integration into global value chains, notably through the development of agri-food exports. Nevertheless, these dynamics remain unevenly distributed and raise persistent challenges regarding smallholder inclusion, while the gradual adoption of sustainable practices, circular economy approaches, and standardization mechanisms such as ISO 14001 certification remains partial due to institutional and financial constraints. The study emphasizes the need for enhanced coherence between agricultural policies, incentive mechanisms, and environmental requirements to reconcile economic performance, environmental sustainability, and resilience of Morocco’s agri-food sector. This work offers an original contribution to the literature by proposing an integrated framework linking economic and environmental integration, mobilizing incentive and externality theories to analyze the dynamics of Morocco’s agri-food sector, and providing researchers and policymakers with guidance for designing coherent agricultural policies adapted to resource constraints.

Keywords : Agri-food sector, Morocco, economic and environmental integration, sustainability, fiscal incentives, externalities, circular economy.