A community model for evaluating the impact of policy, technology and property rights changes in the low rainfall areas of Morocco

Abstract

Attempting to improve resource management in the low rainfall areas (LRAs) of the WANA region primarily through technological change is often impeded by non-technical problems related to farmers' risk behavior, insecure property rights, and an inadequate policy context. Thus a broader and more innovative approach is needed to ensure sustainable resource management and social welfare in the low rainfall areas, by integrating research on policy, institutional, and property rights issues at the community level with technology research. The purpose of this study is to report on a community model constructed to evaluate new technologies, analyze key policy reforms and simulate institutional and property rights changes.