The third edition of the International Forum on Oases and Local Development will take place this year from 18 to 21 December in Zagora, under the theme “Family farming in oases: opportunities and threats.”

Initiated by the Association of the International Forum on Oases of Zagora, this event, which is part of an international dynamic this year—the International Year of Family Farming proclaimed by the UN—intends to allow the various local actors to look back at both the opportunities to be seized and the challenges and perspectives for promising development.

Organised in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Agency for the Development of Oasis and Argan Zones, the National Agency for the Development of the Southern Provinces, the Zagora province, the urban commune of Zagora, and the Souss-Massa-Drâa Regional Council, this Forum intends to contribute to the promotion of the national strategy for the development of oasis zones and to develop new local visions in terms of sustainable development.

“Our goal is to combine all efforts, but also to unify the vision by contributing collectively to the development of a strategy allowing the various stakeholders to speak one language and to be able to overcome the obstacles hindering development in oasis zones,” indicates Jawad Nassiri, President of the Forum Association.

Rightly so, this third edition coincides with the UN's proclamation of 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming, for which the FAO is responsible for implementation. The International Year of Family Farming (IYFF 2014) aims to raise the profile of family farming and small-scale agriculture by focusing the attention of the whole world on their significant contribution to the eradication of hunger and poverty.

While the IYFF 2014 promotes debate and cooperation at the national, regional, and global levels, the oasis zone, which accounts for 15% of the national territory and 5.3% of the national population, is all the more concerned, knowing that more than 90% of farms fall under family farming.

The debates and discussions of the two previous editions had already brought out the key words of an entire programme: integrated development, harmony of interventions, responsible tourism, preservation of tangible and intangible heritage, unified vision… It would be appropriate to draw up a dashboard for appropriate execution.

Oases, as living spaces, also constitute a tourist attraction, with exceptional greenery in this large desert environment. Five main palm groves extend along the Drâa wadi: Mezguita, Tinzouline, Tarnata, Ktaoua, and that of M'Hamid, which gets lost in the great Saharan desert.

“This is a favourable opportunity to promote oasis zones and highlight natural and tourist potential, as well as all local products,” stresses Ahmed Chahid, President of the Provincial Tourism Council of Zagora.

On the programme for this third edition, it is worth mentioning the screening of documentary films on international experiences in family farming, conferences, and round tables as well as workshops led by experts, officials, and specialists in oasis issues and family farming.

We will also look into sensitive and specific subjects such as the development of policies favourable to family farming, the communication of knowledge and know-how to the general public, the constraints of family farming, and the creation of synergies to strengthen sustainable development.

Spread over an exhibition area of 1,600 m², the Fair has nearly twenty stands and expects the visit of more than 40,000 visitors, in addition to national and international experts and institutional officials.

In every corner of the Fair, visitors will have the possibility to discover all aspects of oasis life: accessibility, development of oasis zones, rural and oasis tourism, sustainable development, handicrafts, local products, digital economy, and innovation and solar energy.