Optimizing crop choice and management for rainfall-adaptive, resilient agriculture in Mediterranean drylands: Evidence from Morocco

Abstract

Rainfed agriculture in Morocco’s drylands is increasingly threatened by erratic rainfall, characterized by declining early-season rains and only slight increases later in the season. Six consecutive drought years with highly variable rainfall have caused frequent crop failures and major economic losses in both crop and livestock systems. To identify rainfall-adaptive options, a field experiment was conducted at ICARDA’s Merchouch research station to assess the agronomic and economic performance of alternative food and forage crops sown in early spring to better exploit late-season rainfall. Ten food crops, including cereals and legumes normally planted in winter, were sown on 1st week of March under rainfed conditions, with a subset also receiving supplemental irrigation. The goal was to identify crop choices that enhance water productivity, yield, and profitability when early sown crops fail due to drought. The result showed that under rainfed conditions, chickpea achieved the highest grain yield (1.49 t/ha), followed by barley (1.42 t/ha), fenugreek (0.99 t/ha), forage pea (0.96 t/ha), lentil (0.91 t/ha), and grass pea (0.85 t/ha). Chickpea also recorded the highest water productivity (10.5 kg grain/mm), followed by fenugreek (6.97 kg/mm), forage pea (6.78 kg/mm), and lentil (6.37 kg/mm). Barley produced the greatest straw yield (2.5 t/ha), a critical resource for livestock in dry years. Economically, chickpea and fenugreek generated the highest net returns (USD 2,185/ha and 1,941/ha, respectively), underscoring their suitability for dryland systems. Supplemental irrigation (20–35 mm) substantially increased yields of bean, sunflower, barley, and durum wheat, roughly doubling productivity compared with strictly rainfed conditions. Barley and wheat also helped suppress weeds, reducing early season weed pressure. Overall, the results show that spring planting of chickpea, fenugreek, barley, forage pea, lentil, and grass pea under rainfed conditions and bean, sunflower, and durum wheat with modest supplemental irrigation offers viable, rainfall-adaptive alternatives for farmers. These crops combine robust agronomic performance, high water-use efficiency, and attractive economic returns, strengthening both food and fodder security in Morocco’s dryland environments.