Paper short abstract:

Moroccan agriculture remains a heavyweight in the economy; however, it faces major challenges (intensive plowing, climate change) .The National Plan against global warming offers improved productivity and sustainability crop systems through the adaptation of conservation agriculture techniques.

Paper long abstract:

Agricultural systems are subject to a wide range of risks and uncertainties in most parts of the Mediterranean basin that characterizes almost all the Moroccan territory. This region is experiencing climate change that in no way can be considered normal, and the challenge that this brings to agriculture is twofold. The first challenge relates to the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that generate the changes to climate. The second challenge relates to the impacts of climate change on production, and the capacity of agriculture to adapt where it is most vulnerable. Strategies for sustainable management include conserving soil organic matter, minimizing erosion, enhancing soil fertility and balancing production with environmental needs, especially drought. It is agreed upon that no-tillage agricultural ecosystems have the potential to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and partially mitigate global climatic change. Climate change will become an additional driver for developing no-tillage practice across the Mediterranean basin, as land managers respond to the impacts of climate change on their production base, and governments undertake a range of activities to address the impacts of climate change in agriculture and land management.

In Morocco most farmers in arid planting areas using intensive tillage practices that negatively influence on many physical and chemical properties of soil. This study aims to characterize the impact of farming practices on the structural stability of organic matter. Two tillage types were compared: conventional tillage (CT), No tillage (NT) with crop rotation Chickpea- durum wheat.