After several years of drought, the November rains have revived hopes for farmers in the Taroudant and Chtouka Aït Baha regions. According to reports, these rains have partially replenished water reserves in wells and dams, thus providing better conditions for crop growth.

Mr. Saadani, a farmer in the province of Taroudant, explains: After these rains, real hope has been born for us. After so many difficult years, we are counting on this agricultural season to improve our harvests. This rainfall is essential for the survival of our crops and our livelihoods.

The positive effects are already being felt on vegetable and fruit crops, the pillars of the local agricultural economy. Here, most farmers depend on the dam to irrigate their fields. But for the past two years, the water has been irregular: sometimes it flowed, sometimes it was cut off. This has made our work very difficult and jeopardized several harvests, explains Mr. Saadani.

Abdelkebir El Mini, a farmer in Houara, emphasizes that these rains come at a crucial time."They are vital for our crops and for maintaining our livelihoods," he explains, recalling that the water deficit had led to the drying up of wells, the reduction of springs, and a sharp decline in cultivated areas.

The benefits of these rains are therefore crucial, not only for crops but also for ensuring a reliable supply to local and national markets. According to the farmer, these rains help to partially replenish water reserves, but we still need sustainable infrastructure to secure our crops in the long term.

In this context, the prospect of a desalination plant being built in the region, covering Taroudant and Tiznit, is generating a lot of hope. “We have been assured that this plant will be built, but we are asking that it be operational as soon as possible, because every water problem directly impacts agricultural production and, consequently, our income,” insisted Mbarek Nayt Ouali, a farmer in Ouled Teima.

The November rains offered a welcome respite and revived farmers' optimism, giving a boost to vegetable and fruit crops. But it is above all the commissioning of the future desalination plant, intended to secure the water supply for Taroudant and Tiznit, that could permanently change the situation.

At the crossroads of these two dynamics – the return of rain and the rise of desalination – the 2025 campaign is shaping up to be a real turning point for agriculture in the Souss region: for the first time in a long time, farmers can hope to build their season on something other than uncertainty.