Algeria case study: Re-inventing the circular irrigation system in the semi-desert Mzab valley

Perhaps one of the most elaborate community initiatives in managing groundwater consists of reinforcing the natural cycle of aquifer recharge, which can then be used for irrigation. Artificial groundwater recharge and use systems often deal with difficult waters that come suddenly (e.g flash floods). Operating such systems over the long run requires robust collective action and carefully balancing the available water resources and their use. These are exactly the two dimensions that have been challenged in past decades by the development of individual pumps entailing the possibility of intensive, often unsustainable, groundwater mining for entrepreneurial agricultures. In the oasis context, this new form of agriculture is developed, most often, without the local people and in contradiction with the principle of oasis agriculture. ​ The ancient oases in the M’zab valley in Algeria’s Sahara are the result of several centuries of hard work while respecting the fragile balance between resources and their needs. For instance, the community-managed circular irrigation system of the M'zab valley aims to capture water from the natural hydrological cycle and insert it into local use loops, complementing the natural recharge. This respect for balance was done also for energy and waste.

Regardless of entrepreneurial agriculture, the oasis communities of the M’zab valley developed another agricultural model on the lands surrounding the ancient oases. The farmers were inspired by the secular oasis repertoire, based on circularity while combining them with contemporary practices farming practices and techniques in order to produce a healthier and more sustainable market agriculture.

This study analyses how the circular irrigation system was reinvented in the M’zab valley. We will mobilize the Quantitative Story-Telling approach since it enables allows: i) bridge different sources of knowledge, including local knowledge, ii) combine both qualitative and quantitative information regarding the sustainable use of local resources, and iii) co-create narratives on desirable and viable socio-technical pathways. Based on the analysis, we will reflect on how re-adapating the circular irrigation system in the new agricultural extensions can represent sources of inspiration for ecologically sustainable and socially equitable forms of groundwater governance, even in particularly challenging situations.