Strengths of existing land use practices
The existing agro-systems in the Sehoul region are mainly devoted to the production of food to maintain the reproduction of the units represented by the small farms. But to be able to maintain these systems, the farmers have to reduce as much as possible the degradation factors that are responsible for soil and fertility loss. The agro-systems associate grain production and free breeding in most of the exploitations. This system can be rather inefficient, but it has many positive effects, in social and environmental terms. The economic income from this association grains/breeding is irregular. The annual production is less than 15 qintal /ha and the income under severe dry climatic conditions is not sufficient to maintain a sustainable equilibrium.
As the possibilities for diversification of the production are limited to some farmers and as the development of breeding is exposed to risks, the adoption of other (off-farm) activities and emigration represent now the unique options for small farmers to respond to the scarcity of their income.
The intensification of agriculture by planting fruit trees and the development of modern breeding are among the options offered to the large-scale farmers with sufficient land, potential of irrigation and financial possibilities. This change remains marginal, as the potential area is really limited.
Agriculture and extensive breeding are two interdependent activities of the agrosystem, the origin of which is very old; before the 19th century. Their permanence is the expression of their social role, as the grain production feeds both humans and the animals; the animals contribute to maintain the soil fertility. The forest contributes to the feeding of the animals.
The inequities in terms of ownership are calibrated by some common activities as the free breeding of animals. The current disappearance of some of these social practices explains the migration of the small owners. Their farms are given to other family members, or sold to urban dwellers.
On larger farms, financial possibilities facilitate introduction of innovations, such as rotation with beans and fodder, drip irrigation, and fruit trees plantations.
Free pastures disappear progressively with the increased use of fences, irrigation, and permanent occupation of land. As a consequence, intensive breeding increases. This creates competition between stakeholder groups.
The Sehoul environment is characterized by soil erosion and land degradation. This has not lead to investment in adaptive management strategies in the area. There are, however, several measures, like crop rotation, mobile breeding, ploughing along the contours which signify the will to restore soil fertility and reduce soil degradation. The recent project of agriculture development in the commune introduced two new techniques, the capture of runoff to feed the olive trees and the check dams on the big gullies.
