{xtypo_alert}Editor's note 5Mar13. Source D231-3.3. One page introduction then rest of section available for download{/xtypo_alert}

Location and history The Ait Arfa du Guigou tribe is a fraction of the Beni Mguild Federation. The tribal areas of the Beni Mguild are located in the central portion of the Middle Atlas. The Beni Mguild came from the High Atlas Mountains, seasonally migrating to the Middle Atlas since the 16th century before finally settling in the 19th century. Four ethnical units compose the Beni Mguild; the Ait Arfa du Guigou located in the area of Timahdit, the Irklaouen in Azrou, the Ait Abdi in Ain Leuh and the Ait Sgougou located in El Hamman. The research focuses on the Ait Arfa du Guigou, constituting the rural community of Timahdit, stretches over an area of 617 km² in the Center-East of the Middle Atlas. The study area is covered by forests (14,100 ha), agricultural land (12,500 ha) and unused lands (4,100 ha).

Climate

Study area climate is Mediterranean-mountain: semi-arid, with hot summers and cold winters. The wet season coincides with the cold season, with 65 to 80% of the precipitation occurring between November and March. Temporal distribution of precipitation is bimodal, peaking in November and April. Some precipitation is in the form of snow (45 days yearly average). Mean PPT is about 403 mm and mean temperature ranges from 17 °C to 32 °C.

Precipitations are concentrated in winter and spring. They decrease from an average of 800 mm at Jbel Hebri (1900 mm) to reach 400 mm at Timahdit village. The region is characterized by cold winters (-2.5 °C min. average, +9.8 °C max. average). Summers are very hot (31 °C max. average).

Average annual humidity is 55.73% (higher during winter). Average of solar radiation is 0.40 Kw/m², varying between seasons. Wind velocity averages 6.08 m/s. Average evapotranspiration for the period 2006-2011 was 3.08 mm/day ranging from 1.6 mm/day (December-January) to 5.8 mm/day (June).

Geology, topography, soils and hydrology

The northern part of the study area includes the Azrou plateau owing its surface features to Quaternary volcanism: cinder cones punctuating a surface covered with basaltic flows. On the Guigou Plain near Timahdite, outcrops of Jurassic limestone and Jurassic dolomite provide evidence of basalt overlying limestone. Along its southwestern edge, the Azrou Plateau abuts a zone of limestone domes and synclines. On either side of the gap at Timahdite, the front consists of abruptly upthrust bench of Cretaceous limestone. Some of these benches are overlain by pyroclastic material. South of the area of Aguelmem rise mountainous domes of Jurassic dolomite. These domes end abruptly at the exposed, upthrust edge of a narrow, overlying bed of Jurassic limestone. This formation gives way quickly to a zone of Cretaceous calcic marne hills which reach 2087m.

Elevation in the study area ranges from 1500 m to 2450 m.

Two major types of soils exist in the study area: those derived from basaltic parent material and those derived from limestone and dolomitic parent material. The former type includes: Brown soils found in depressions, Vertisols, Lithosols and vitric andosols. The latter type includes: Red Mediterranean soils and Renzines. While many of these soils, especially those of basaltic origin, are quite fertile, most are shallow and extremely stony. The soils of the pastures are generally of good quality, dark brown in color, and contain considerable humus. Pastures are located on basaltic band overlying calcareous or dolomite parent material. With regard to soil texture, the two main categories are clay dominant soil with dark color (70%) and limon soil with red color (20%). Soil texture, structure, color, and horizon delimitations are fairly uniform throughout the area.

The major permanent stream in the area is the Oued (river) Guigou entering the at the Southeast corner and flowing North to Timahdit and then east. Its major tributaries are the Oued Bouangar and large springs near the Ighzafen and Ait Haddou settlements. Ephemeral flows from springs such as Aghbalou N'Troumit and from ephemeral streams such as Tighza supplement in the spring. Permanent lakes include Aguelmem Tidouit and Aguelmem, near the Ighzafen settlement. Many small springs dot the terrain in the South. In general, stock water resources are abundant in the South but extremely limited in the North.

Ecosystems and land use

The main types of vegetation found in the study site are:

• Forests (Atlantic cedar, green oak, juniper often with with Scorzonera pygmea understory)
• Grass and shrub land (Genista pseudopilosa, Artemisia mesatlatica, Artemisia herba helba, Scorzonera pygmea)
• Shrub grassland (Thymus zygis grassland, Bupleurum spinosum grassland, Mixed shrub grassland, Heliunthemum croceum grassland, Spiny shrub and annual grassland)

Land devoted to agriculture is about 12,500 ha for the Timahdit area (25% of Ifrane agriculture). Agriculture is mainly practiced in farms rather less than 50 hectares. Agriculture is oriented toward livestock feed. The main crops are cereals (56% of production), forages (24%) and fallow (17.2%). Cereals are cropped both in rain fed and irrigated fields. Forages are mainly cropped in rain fed zones. Land devoted to legumes cropped for human consumption purpose represents 10% at the province level.

In the Middle Atlas, there are about 3.6 million small ruminants with an average of one head per hectare. The number of cattle is about 120,000. Sheep breeding dominates Ifrane province. Herd management is oriented toward subsistence rather than optimization of the production. Economic performance is weak. The majority of farmers, despite the overexploitation of resources, has a minimum subsistence level and lives in difficult conditions (isolation, lack of equipment).

Land tenure

Currently the Ait Arfa du Guigou Perimeter is used by four fractions: the Ait M'Hamed, Ait Hcine ou Hand, Ait Ben Hcine and Ait Ben Yacoub. The Perimeter contains 58,780 ha (53% collectively owned, 21% privately owned, 26% state owned forestland). The collective lands of the Perimeter are generally shrub and grassland vegetation types, providing excellent summer pasture, but also commonly used throughout the entire year. Rapid melting of snows and immediate shooting up of vegetation makes winter grazing possible. This constant and excessive grazing is a major range problem leading to over-utilization and depletion of forage resources. By law, all people born into the four sub fractions have legal grazing rights to the area.

Regulation of land use generally takes place according to traditional law (Orf: customary law and Islamic law for access to resources), despite radical changes in institutional regulation of grazing since the French Protectorate. (modern forest code applied by the Forest Service)

Land tenure is pivotal for rangeland management, as rangelands are usually under collective ownership. The group has all the resources necessary for its existence and rights to make agreements with neighbors to gain access to additional resources. Access of members to different resources is managed within the group. Their management is not without problems, related primarily with the abandonment of traditional seasonal enclosures (agdal) and the general reluctance to accept or enforce any limitation to access. Communal pastures tend to be in a state of degradation, often leading to conflict for limited resources, particularly during droughts: grazing conflicts threatening social peace and public order.

Population

The Beni Mguild Berbers have been nomads in the past, but are now settled. Sheep herding remains their main activity and shepherds still live in tents in summer pastures. Beni Mguild society could be characterized as a segmentary society, with every lineage having a council of elders making all decisions. The council made sure that in winter pastures grass should grow sufficiently enough before it was grazed. Such councils still exist in the High Atlas.

The 8 rural communities of Ifrane have a young population, with 39% under 15 years old and 8.5% over 60 years old. Average household size is approximately 6 people.

The village of Timahdit has one public health, four primary schools, one secondary school, and one post office.

Particular LEDD issues in Timahdit

Until 1930, the Ait Arfa du Guigou had no permanent dwellings and few cultivated fields. They were wintering with their neighboring tribes in low lying areas and passing the rest of the year in the mountainous area they inhabit today. To meet domestic consumption, pastors were practicing subsistence agriculture in the most favorable locations. This system was characterized by exploitation of resources by a sparse population and stocking for a rational use of forest and pastoral resources. Seasonal mobility (transhumance) and the practice of «agdal» were the main characteristics of this system, allowing a complementary use of soils.

However, delimitation of collective land, privatization, government policies to settle the Berbers and expansion of agricultural speculations contributed to the transformation of production systems. Moreover, this transformation is also explained by the demographics that resulted in the tripling of the population of these areas in less than fifty years since the 1950s. The increase of the population sided with an increase of land used for agriculture, leading to grazing pressure on the pastures and tensions among pastoralists. Many pastoralists were forced to have their herd grazing the same area continuously.

In parallel with population growth, the number of animals increased significantly despite the gradual reduction of rangelands. This has led to over-exploitation of rangelands and forests. Rangelands are becoming increasingly unable to ensure livestock reproduction.

{xtypo_alert}Editor's note 20Mar14: Source D132-4.1{/xtypo_alert}

The rural community of Timahdit is located in the Middle Atlas of Morocco. The Ait Arfa du Guigou, which is part of the Timahdit area, belongs to the Beni Mguild Berbers. Traditionally they grazed their land with a vertical migration pattern: in the summer the sheep were pastured on the highlands, in the winter on the lowlands. Because of these seasonal movements the people lived in tents, but they also had winter houses where they stored agricultural equipment and grain. Families left the house in spring to live in the summer pastures. Only a guard or a member of the family remained in the house. Nowadays the Beni Mguild are settled and it is the shepherd who lives in a tent on summer pastures.

Many inhabitants of the Beni Mguild area originally came from elsewhere. Some immigrants arrived in order to take advantage of trading opportunities. Because the shepherds were remunerated against part of the increase of the herd, they had access to the communal rangelands. The increase of the population coincided with an increase of land used for agriculture. Because the grazing pressure on the pastures led to increasing tensions among the pastoralists, the Beni Mguild started to deny the recently arrived immigrants access to the communal pastures. To overcome these tensions, arrangements were made between Beni Mguild pastoralists and newcomers. Conflicts between the original population and newcomers, and increased suspicion between locals as regards secret arrangements, started in the 1940s.

As a result, in the early 1980s grazing pressure averaged three sheep per hectare, whereas it should be only one sheep and a lamb per hectare. Allocation of lowland to agriculture reduced areas for grazing and resulted in breakdown of the vertical transhumance. This fact increased grazing pressure on what was left of land for grazing. The breakdown in the vertical transhumance obliged several pastoralists to stop moving their herd between summer and winter pastures and to graze the same area continuously. This encouraged pastoralists to settle in the summer grazing lands.

The following major states of the SES of the Ait Arfa du Guigou can be identified:

Pastoral Society (1970s)

This period is characterized by state interventions and land colonization resulting in loss of Beni M'guild land. At the same time, population growth leads to a severe reduction in land availability and individuals are forced to expand farmland at the expense of rangelands. State policies bring radical changes in the institutional regulation of grazing on the Ait Arfa du Guigou collective, steadily eroding traditional management and enforcing central government control.

Agro-pastoral society (1980s)

Transhumance to the lowlands is finally abandoned in favour of construction of camps on moutain pastures. Changes in the farming system provide enough feed for animals, while the state enforces legislation to enhance sedentarization. The old order is weakened and herdsmen begin to employ new strategies that bypass old institutions.

Semi-intensive agro-pastoral society (2000s)

This period is characterised by increasing population and animal numbers. As a result of the marginality of grazing activity, farmers and grazers employ strategies strategies for semi-intensive livestock and agro-pastoral farming systems, focusing also on horticultural production where possible.

Pastoral society (1970s)
Agro-pastoral society (1980s)
Semi-intensive agriculture society (2000s)

{xtypo_alert}Editor's note 20Mar14: Source D232-4.2.1{/xtypo_alert}

Assessment of natural, economic and social capitals

Main LEDD problems and responses

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Policy context
{xtypo_alert}AK: to check that implementation, impacts and effectiveness of selected policies are discussed in this text. Look at D242 to see if there is any additional information. {/xtypo_alert}

--

Properties of the system
{xtypo_alert}AK: to check if there is any further relevant information in D233{/xtypo_alert}

Natural capital: --

Economic captial: --

Social capital: --

Socio-ecological resilience
{xtypo_alert}AK: to be added, source: D233{/xtypo_alert}

Socio-ecological fit of the dominant response to LEDD
{xtypo_alert}AK: to be added, source: D233{/xtypo_alert}

{xtypo_alert}Editor's note 20Mar14: Source D232-4.2.2{/xtypo_alert}

Assessment of natural, economic and social capitals

Main LEDD problems and responses

Traditional institutions include measures for controlling the collective land use including closing agdal areas to grazing or opening only during specific seasons. While closure of agdals is normally decided at the subfraction level, it must now be registered and approved by the Ministry of the Interior, a practice which is becoming rare. In each douar (village), breeders choose "naibs" to manage the pastures. Functions of naibs include solving troubles concerning limits of rangelands, water points, closing and opening and closure of agdals.

In 1969, the state attempted to secure the future of these communal lands and pastoral people by creating new management institutions to replace the traditional ones that were perceived to be archaic and ineffective. A pastoral research station was created in 1977 to study the issues related to rangeland degradation. In addition the Moyen Atlas Central Project, conducted in the territory of the Ait Arfa Guigou looked at 1) rangeland development 2) forest conservation and development 3) development of forage production on marginal land 4) transformation of extensive livestock farming to intensive/ semi-intensive 5) development of land suitable for irrigation and 6) diversification of agricultural production in the area and their revaluation (high added value).

Policy context
{xtypo_alert}AK: to check that implementation, impacts and effectiveness of selected policies are discussed in this text. Look at D242 to see if there is any additional information. {/xtypo_alert}

--

Properties of the system
{xtypo_alert}AK: to check if there is any further relevant information in D233{/xtypo_alert}

Natural capital: --

Economic captial: --

Social capital: --

Socio-ecological resilience
{xtypo_alert}AK: to be added, source: D233{/xtypo_alert}

Socio-ecological fit of the dominant response to LEDD
{xtypo_alert}AK: to be added, source: D233{/xtypo_alert}

{xtypo_alert}Editor's note 20Mar14: Source D232-4.2.3{/xtypo_alert}

Assessment of natural, economic and social capitals

Main LEDD problems and responses

The population of the Ait Arfa du Guigou has almost tripled within the last 70 years.

In parallel with population growth, the number of animals increases significantly despite the gradual reduction of rangelands engaged in cultivation, especially in the lower parts (azaghar). This narrowing of pastoral areas has contributed to over-exploitation of rangelands and forests. As agriculture is concentrated in the irrigated plains (market gardening and arboriculture), rangelands are becoming increasingly unable to ensure reproduction of livestock. Even if the rangeland area itself is not decreasing, the number of people holding grazing rights is increasing.

Sedentarisation in the summer rangelands of the Ait Arfa du Guigou is a consequence of the breakdown in the double transhumance that regulated the use of the resources and which, in turn, resulted from the conversion of the lowlands to agriculture. Consequently, herders reduce their mobility and settle in the summer high grazing lands increasing the grazing pressure here. Consequences on vegetation resources are: (1) a decrease in vegetation diversity, 2) decrease in perennial species and vegetation cover, (3) a change in land cover.

The diversity of plant species is significantly lower in areas where grazing is intense (at water points and Bouanguar). Higher numbers of settlements result in a higher degree of degradation and bare soil is associated with higher grazing pressure. In contrast, there is more litter in the places where grazing pressure is not intense. The percentage of rock cover 15% in Bouanguer where grazing pressure is about from 5 to 6 ewes per ha. In Touna Research Station where the stocking rate does not exceed 1 ewe per hectare, grasses are more abundant.

Changes in land cover tend to follow the overexploitation of resources. The amount of forest is decreasing; matorral (especially xerophitic matorral) is increasing, grassland is increasing marginally and rock exposure is increasing. To cope with the consequences of degradation and the demand for more and more external feeds, farmers are cultivating lands for a dual purpose: to produce more feed and for new added value crops to diversify their revenue.

Policy context
{xtypo_alert}AK: to check that implementation, impacts and effectiveness of selected policies are discussed in this text. Look at D242 to see if there is any additional information. {/xtypo_alert}

Properties of the system
{xtypo_alert}AK: to check if there is any further relevant information in D233{/xtypo_alert}

Natural capital: --

Economic captial: --

Social capital: --

Socio-ecological resilience
{xtypo_alert}AK: to be added, source: D233{/xtypo_alert}

Socio-ecological fit of the dominant response to LEDD
{xtypo_alert}AK: to be added, source: D233{/xtypo_alert}

{xtypo_info}This article is currently restricted to project partners only, who should »login to access it.{/xtypo_info}{f90filter RESTRICT SHOW}

{xtypo_alert}Editor's note 6Sept12: Source D333.{/xtypo_alert}

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