11 Saharan Agriculture in the Algerian Oasis …
245
Table 1 Greenhouse cucumber compared to other vegetable products in Aougrout (2015/2016)
Area (ha)
(%)
Production (Qx)
%
Cucumber
27,50
63,0
23.165
77,8
Other market garden products
16,15
37,0
6.594
22,2
Total
43,65
100,0
29.759
100,0
Source Reconstitution of the data of the subdivision of agriculture, Aougrout (Adrar)
People from Sétif had already been in direct contact with the traders in the region
for the transport of food products. Despite the unavailability of reliable data from
the Wilaya of Adrar, our study estimates the greenhouse agricultural area cultivated
at more than 70 ha in the community of Aougrout alone (Hadeid et al. 2018), and
it continues to increase; currently, more than 2200 greenhouses are identified in
Aougrout by satellite imagery. However, there is a danger that mining, use of fossil
water and other unsustainable practices that support irrigation are significant and
without reliable evaluation by authorities (Directorate of Hydraulics, ANRH). The
number of wells drilled in the entire Adrar region exceeds 900, with 75% used for
agriculture. Monoculture and the absence of fallow periods and mineral salt leaching
cycles lead to a displacement of greenhouses and causes soil degradation cycles
every 2–3 years; uncontrolled use of fertilizers also represents an enormous risk of
contamination of aquifers.
The artisanal pivot (Photos 1 and 2) technique is another interesting application
of social technology for irrigation. It has already been used, for about 20 years,
in the Souf region (South-East Algeria), allowing the emergence of market garden
production basins by mobilizing deep groundwater on the margins of oases. Based on
the principle proposed by Akrich et al. (1988) that “adopting an innovation means
adapting it; it needs to be transformed, modified according to the site where it is
implemented”, Souf craftsmen and farmers have been able to design a small irrigation
system (less than 1 ha) that meets the needs of farmers who do not have financial
resources or whose land is not cultivable for large pivots (between 30 and 50 ha),
which in turn demand more expensive and technical resources for operation (Fig. 1).
Having seen the success of this irrigation technique in the Souf region, farmers in
the Aougrout region have begun to use it where plasticulture is the most widespread.
Photo 1 and 2 Handcrafted pivot used in Aougrout (Adrar). (Hadeid M. 2018)
245
Table 1 Greenhouse cucumber compared to other vegetable products in Aougrout (2015/2016)
Area (ha)
(%)
Production (Qx)
%
Cucumber
27,50
63,0
23.165
77,8
Other market garden products
16,15
37,0
6.594
22,2
Total
43,65
100,0
29.759
100,0
Source Reconstitution of the data of the subdivision of agriculture, Aougrout (Adrar)
People from Sétif had already been in direct contact with the traders in the region
for the transport of food products. Despite the unavailability of reliable data from
the Wilaya of Adrar, our study estimates the greenhouse agricultural area cultivated
at more than 70 ha in the community of Aougrout alone (Hadeid et al. 2018), and
it continues to increase; currently, more than 2200 greenhouses are identified in
Aougrout by satellite imagery. However, there is a danger that mining, use of fossil
water and other unsustainable practices that support irrigation are significant and
without reliable evaluation by authorities (Directorate of Hydraulics, ANRH). The
number of wells drilled in the entire Adrar region exceeds 900, with 75% used for
agriculture. Monoculture and the absence of fallow periods and mineral salt leaching
cycles lead to a displacement of greenhouses and causes soil degradation cycles
every 2–3 years; uncontrolled use of fertilizers also represents an enormous risk of
contamination of aquifers.
The artisanal pivot (Photos 1 and 2) technique is another interesting application
of social technology for irrigation. It has already been used, for about 20 years,
in the Souf region (South-East Algeria), allowing the emergence of market garden
production basins by mobilizing deep groundwater on the margins of oases. Based on
the principle proposed by Akrich et al. (1988) that “adopting an innovation means
adapting it; it needs to be transformed, modified according to the site where it is
implemented”, Souf craftsmen and farmers have been able to design a small irrigation
system (less than 1 ha) that meets the needs of farmers who do not have financial
resources or whose land is not cultivable for large pivots (between 30 and 50 ha),
which in turn demand more expensive and technical resources for operation (Fig. 1).
Having seen the success of this irrigation technique in the Souf region, farmers in
the Aougrout region have begun to use it where plasticulture is the most widespread.
Photo 1 and 2 Handcrafted pivot used in Aougrout (Adrar). (Hadeid M. 2018)