Chapter 11
Saharan Agriculture in the Algerian
Oasis: Limited Adaptation
to Environmental, Social and Economic
Changes
M. Hadeid, T. Ghodbani, O. Dari, and S. A. Bellal
Abstract Climate change and its management through public policy have had
a profound impact on the natural balances of oases in the Sahara of Maghreb.
Modern irrigation techniques are practiced increasingly on the margins of traditional
oases with appropriate adaptation methods. The pressure on water resources has led
to intense power dynamics between water owners and new agricultural investors.
The juxtaposition of local traditional knowledge in the use of resources to current
approaches to technical and administrative management is the basis of a new territorial dynamic that is currently shaping the oasis space of the Maghreb. In this chapter,
we propose a multiple-criteria analysis of the dynamics of transformation at the
human-nature interface. The subject of this study was derived from an analysis of
several research projects conducted over the past two decades (1999–2019).
Keywords Climate change · Public policies · Oases · Irrigation · Adaptation ·
Water resources
1 Introduction
For more than a century, the Algerian region of the Sahara has been the scene of
significant social and spatial changes. The water management baseline considered
in this chapter was established during the territorial and economic integration and
appropriation of the colonial period, after which the State took action, which accelerated and consolidated water policy and incentives. As they entered the urban era,
the Algerian Saharan territories were profoundly reconfigured, which gave rise to
multifaceted tensions. These environmental, economic and social transformations
have challenged the traditional balances and functioning of these territories. The
gradual regrouping of populations and the many fold increase in urban populations
have led to a weakening of ecosystems, an increase in economic inequality and,
more generally, the emergence of structural territorial disparities. Spatial planning
M. Hadeid (B) · T. Ghodbani · O. Dari · S. A. Bellal
EGEAT Research Laboratory, University of Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed, Bir El Djir, Algeria
e-mail: hadeid009@yahoo.fr
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Diop et al. (eds.), Climate Change and Water Resources in Africa,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61225-2_11
239
Saharan Agriculture in the Algerian
Oasis: Limited Adaptation
to Environmental, Social and Economic
Changes
M. Hadeid, T. Ghodbani, O. Dari, and S. A. Bellal
Abstract Climate change and its management through public policy have had
a profound impact on the natural balances of oases in the Sahara of Maghreb.
Modern irrigation techniques are practiced increasingly on the margins of traditional
oases with appropriate adaptation methods. The pressure on water resources has led
to intense power dynamics between water owners and new agricultural investors.
The juxtaposition of local traditional knowledge in the use of resources to current
approaches to technical and administrative management is the basis of a new territorial dynamic that is currently shaping the oasis space of the Maghreb. In this chapter,
we propose a multiple-criteria analysis of the dynamics of transformation at the
human-nature interface. The subject of this study was derived from an analysis of
several research projects conducted over the past two decades (1999–2019).
Keywords Climate change · Public policies · Oases · Irrigation · Adaptation ·
Water resources
1 Introduction
For more than a century, the Algerian region of the Sahara has been the scene of
significant social and spatial changes. The water management baseline considered
in this chapter was established during the territorial and economic integration and
appropriation of the colonial period, after which the State took action, which accelerated and consolidated water policy and incentives. As they entered the urban era,
the Algerian Saharan territories were profoundly reconfigured, which gave rise to
multifaceted tensions. These environmental, economic and social transformations
have challenged the traditional balances and functioning of these territories. The
gradual regrouping of populations and the many fold increase in urban populations
have led to a weakening of ecosystems, an increase in economic inequality and,
more generally, the emergence of structural territorial disparities. Spatial planning
M. Hadeid (B) · T. Ghodbani · O. Dari · S. A. Bellal
EGEAT Research Laboratory, University of Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed, Bir El Djir, Algeria
e-mail: hadeid009@yahoo.fr
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Diop et al. (eds.), Climate Change and Water Resources in Africa,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61225-2_11
239