Nearly 76,000 ha in the irrigated perimeter of Doukkala-Abda will be subject to a conversion programme to localised irrigation by 2023. This project is justified, according to public authorities, by the strategic importance of this zone and its impact on regional development. To this end, projects have already been launched, and others are being prepared by the Regional Office for Agricultural Development of Doukkala (ORMVAD), aiming at initiating the collective conversion of irrigation systems in irrigated sectors, whether gravity or sprinkler, into localised irrigation systems, as well as incentive actions for the adoption of water-saving projects. The irrigation system conversion project for the Boulaouane sector is thus part of this programme and is considered a pilot project at the national level, as it has allowed the collective conversion of the sprinkler irrigation system, which has existed in this sector since the sixties, into a localised irrigation system over the total area of the sector, i.e., 1,100 ha.

The implementation of the project is part of a tripartite partnership agreement signed between the ORMVAD, the Association of Agricultural Water Users of the Boulaouane sector (AUEAB), and the Oum Er-Rbia River Basin Agency (ABHO). The project represents a reference for the promotion and development of water saving and its valorisation in irrigation, which constitute one of the essential objectives of the Green Morocco Plan, launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries following the High instructions of H.M. King Mohammed VI. The Boulaouane sector is the first in Morocco to have seen the introduction of sprinkler irrigation. It is equipped with a pumping station drawing water from the main canal known as the "low service" of the Doukkala and discharging into a network of buried pipes, which extends over a total length of 32.5 km. This sector is part of the irrigated perimeter of the Doukkala, falling under the province of El-Jadida. It consists of 5 ha plots divided and distributed as part of the agrarian reform operation to some 220 recipients grouped within 10 cooperatives. The irrigation of this sector is mainly done from water regulated by the Al Massira dam, and partly from groundwater resources which provide supplementary irrigation in case of a decrease in water supply from the dam.

The project consists, on the one hand, of a component relating to equipment external to agricultural holdings, namely the construction of a large main filtration station, which is one of the most important of its kind in the Kingdom.

Also to be mentioned is the reinforcement of the pumping station, the construction of 220 individual intakes (one per agricultural holding). Each intake is equipped with a water meter, a regulation device, and secondary filtration equipment. On the other hand, there is a component comprising equipment inside the agricultural holdings, namely the localised irrigation networks. The cost of the project amounts to 40 million DH, of which 8 million DH for external equipment, financed by the State, and 32 million DH for internal equipment financed in full under the Agricultural Development Fund. The analysis and evaluation of the profitability, opportunities, and impact of the project demonstrate, at the current stage, the importance of the project, which deserves to be replicated in other sectors to allow for overall agricultural development in the region. It should be specified that the Boulaouane pilot conversion project is integrated into the Regional Agricultural Plan of the Doukkala, particularly in terms of the development of market gardening crops. It derives its importance from the very positive impacts on farmers through the improvement of their agricultural incomes.

Indeed, the agricultural development plan is currently characterised, after the completion of the project, by a system of highly intensified crops, based on sugar beet, market gardening, fodder, and cereals, with a crop intensification rate reaching nearly 140% instead of 109% previously. Animal production, for its part, constitutes an important component, particularly due to the milk production collected by a cooperative formed at the sector level. Crop yields have increased significantly and are at a high level, i.e., 90 to 100 tonnes per hectare for sugar beet, 60 to 70 quintals per hectare for cereals, and 50 to 70 tonnes per hectare for market gardening. The project also constitutes a reference for the promotion and development of water saving and its valorisation in irrigation at the national level.

The valorisation of irrigation water would amount to 6 DH/m3 against 2 DH/m3 if this project had not existed.

The internal rate of return of the project is 28%.

The payback period for the invested capital is only four years, according to specialists.

A water saving of 40%.

An energy saving of 5 to 10%.

An improvement in irrigation efficiency of 90% (compared to 70% before the project).

An improvement in productivity of 100%, depending on the crops grown.

A rationalisation of the use of fertilisers and pesticides of 30%.

A reduction in pressure on the water table.