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After a Dry Spring, Northwest Africa Braces for Disruptive Crop Failures

By Brandon Moss

May 26, 2023

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Low water levels are seen at the Sidi Salem Dam, Tunisia’s largest embankment dam, on April 6, 2023.

(FETHI BELAID/AFP via Getty Images)

As the summer harvest season begins in agriculture-dependent North Africa, severe drought will lead to crop failures that will increase risks of political uncertainty, social unrest and economic instability.

Northwest Africa’s Maghreb region, which includes Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, is among the most arid in the world. And amid a pre-existing drought, scarce rainfall in 2023 is exacerbating conditions like drained groundwater, lower water tables at regional dams, and an over-use of the scant available water resources.

With summer harvests of cereal grain crops just beginning, this dry environment has led regional farmers and U.N. observers to forecast that crop yields will be poorer than expected. And since Maghreb is heavily dependent on agriculture, which accounts for roughly 12-13% of its countries’ GDP, the impact of these poor harvests will be manifold….

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Brandon Moss

Brandon Moss is the Editor of AgriFocus Africa, where he leads editorial coverage on African agriculture, agribusiness, food security, and rural development. With a strong focus on market intelligence, policy analysis, and industry trends, he oversees content that connects producers, investors, and decision-makers across the continent’s agricultural value chain.

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After a Dry Spring, Northwest Africa Braces for Disruptive Crop Failures

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