Exploring the role of Rural Women in Sustainable Agriculture in Morocco

Climate-smart agriculture provides a transformative paradigm for sustainable development and food security. While CSA emphasizes increased productivity and enhanced resilience, its successful implementation is fundamentally contingent on inclusive participation. In Morocco, rural women are central to labor and agricultural systems. However, they often face significant barriers and remain disproportionately marginalized from engaging fully in sustainable practices. Accordingly, this research critically examines the role of rural women’s empowerment in contributing to sustainable agricultural practices in Morocco’s Fez-Meknes region.

This paper employed a mixed-methods approach. We conducted semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, including government officials, community representatives, and non-governmental organizations. In the next step, we administered questionnaires to female-led cooperatives and farmers. The data analysis provided us with a contextual understanding of stakeholders’ perspectives on the existing policies. It allowed us to perform a thorough assessment of women’s involvement in sustainable agricultural practices. Moreover, we identified a set of barriers impeding their full participation in the adoption of such practices.

Our results indicate limited participation of rural women in the adoption of innovative CSA practices in the Fez-Meknes region. Despite their significant contribution to agricultural labor, they face numerous restrictions in terms of access to financial resources, education, and information networks. Notwithstanding, our research highlights a substantive correlation between inclusive policies and increased adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. Furthermore, female-led cooperatives demonstrated enhanced collective action, leading to knowledge sharing and more effective results.

This research explores the role rural women play in adopting sustainable agricultural practices. It confirms that conceiving and implementing inclusive policies leads to the empowerment of women through education, training, and resource provision. Enhancing women’s participation in CSA initiatives is thus a prerequisite for achieving robust and sustainable agricultural development in Morocco.