@article{fdi:010070801,
  title = {{N}atural ecosystem mimicry in traditional dryland agroecosystems : insights from empirical and holistic approach},
  author = {{B}lanco, {J}ulien and {M}ichon, {G}enevi{\`e}ve and {C}arri{\`e}re, {S}t{\'e}phanie {M}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{W}hile the aim of {E}cological {I}ntensification is to enable the design of more sustainable and productive agricultural systems, it is not suited to dryland agroecosystems that are driven by non-equilibrium dynamics and intrinsic variability. {I}nstead, a model based on mobility and variability management has been proposed for these agroecosystems. {H}owever, this model remains under-applied in southern {M}orocco where there have been few studies on the functioning of traditional agroecosystems. {T}his paper focuses on an agroecosystem in the {M}oroccan {S}aharan fringe zone that combines agriculture and pastoralism in an acacia parkland. {A} grounded theory approach was used over a three-year investigation period (i) to highlight how agro-pastoral activities interface with environmental variability, and (ii) to analyze the formal and informal institutions that support these activities. {R}esults show that farmers interface with rainfall variability through (i) an opportunistic agricultural calendar, (ii) a variation of cultivated areas, and (iii) crop diversification. {H}erders combine macro-mobility (nomads move over long distances to track rainfall) and micro-mobility (nomadic and sedentary herds are driven on a daily basis around settlements) to optimize the exploitation of ecological heterogeneity. {D}uring droughts, they also resort to {S}tate-subsidized forage supplies. {B}oth cultivation and pastoral activities tend to interface with ecological dynamics and to mimic nature, resulting in a human-modified parkland that could be considered as a 'green agroecosystem'. {T}he sustainability of natural resource use relies on flexible property rights, backed up by a social and cultural norm-based regulation system, that allow crop-livestock integration and landscape collective management. {D}espite encouraging results, the agroecosystem appears to be threatened by current agricultural policies, rural exodus and the lack of social recognition of nomadism. {N}evertheless, because ecosystem mimicry of nature is often considered as a sound agricultural model for drylands, this case study could provide a basis for local development policies, and thus merits further attention from local managers and researchers.},
  keywords = {{MAROC} ; {SAHARA}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{J}ournal of {E}nvironmental {M}anagement},
  volume = {204},
  numero = {},
  pages = {111--122},
  ISSN = {0301-4797},
  year = {2017},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.08.030},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010070801},
}