Public private partnerships (PPP) in the irrigation sector are a relatively recent phenomenon and the ElGuerdane project in Southern Morocco is the first of its kind worldwide, including water mobilization, supply and management. Implemented in 2008, it now provides water to 10.000 ha of highly lucrative citrus fruit plantations. The project is presented as a case of success by international development banks, but results in terms of local development are mixed. While some farmers benefit from the initiative, the majority of small-scale farmers around the project area experience increased marginalization from water, fertile land and development.
Based on extensive field research in the ElGuerdane area between 2006 and 2013, the present paper identifies three key critical issues of the PPP: partly negative effects on livelihoods and socioeconomic development within and beyond the project area; an unequal sharing of costs, benefits and risks between the public and the private partners; and the uncertain environmental impact. All three factors led to the widespread perception that national authorities were unable to guarantee their welfare responsibilities and did not take into account the ‘small people’s’ needs in times of growing uncertainties.
Based on the analysis of the policy outputs and outcomes of this case, the paper explores the links between resource governance and social stability in the study area as well as in a broader regional perspective. In the context of the Arab Spring and increasing social unrest in the MENA region, access to water for livelihoods and human wellbeing plays a key role for social stability. As the present analysis shows, unintended socioeconomic and environmental impacts of PPP projects need to be addressed in order to improve the chances for socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable development. The paper closes with key recommendations in this sense including the design and operation of such projects.
Co-Author: Simon Bonnet, Universite Paris 8 simon.bonnet@ensiacet.fr
