Re-allocating yet-to-be-saved water in irrigation modernization projects: The case of the Bittit Irrigation System, Morocco

While the world faces a growing demand for food, water availability is limited. One much proposed and advocated (among others by international donors) solution for producing more food with less available water is the so-called modernization of irrigation systems (Playán and Mateos, 2006; World Bank, 2006; EEA, 2009; OECD, 2010). The term modernization refers to the ‘upgrading’ (Burt, 1999: 15) of irrigation systems through the introduction of new management arrangements and technologies that stimulate efficient water use (van Halsema, 2002). Increases in the efficiency of irrigation systems are expected to result in increases in the productivity of the irrigated sector, as for instance expressed in terms of more production per hectare or more production per cubic meter of available water. Modernization of irrigation is also often associated with a larger agricultural intensification discourse, with farmers becoming more competitive, a liberalization of markets and a reduction in subsidies (Lecina et al., 2010).