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It's summer in Morocco and much of the landscape is brown.
Here in the agricultural region of Doukkala, one of the country's breadbaskets, farmers work green irrigated fields.
If there's no water, there are no vegetables like this.
These are from the water.
Across Morocco, farmers like Belkadaf M'barek are still reaping the benefits of generous winter and spring rains.
Grain is the principal product. And Morocco's production this year is estimated at [10.2 million metric tons].
This is a record never before attained in Morocco.
Farmers with irrigation are growing crops like corn and alfalfa in the summer,
something they didn't have enough water to do in the last decade.
The difference is clear. Last year in the summer, you wouldn't see any of these vegetables.
Morocco's bumper crop has given it temporary protection from the world economic downturn.
But experts say it highlights the country's dependence on a very fickle resource -- water.
The agricultural GDP in Morocco is very tightly linked to annual rainfall.
When rainfall increases -- is sufficient -- you have a very significant agricultural GDP.
An extensive irrigation network has helped stabilize water supplies in dry years, but not enough.
This pumping station -- one of the largest in Africa -- should supply water for 64,000 hectares of Moroccan farmland.
With a period of drought during the last 10 years, we were only able to supply 35,000 hectares.
During that period, almost half of the region's once-irrigated fields sat parched.
Doukkala's farmers endured severe water rationing as nearby reservoirs emptied out.
At the start of the current season, that's to say 2008-2009, it was very difficult
because the amount of water we had in the dam never exceeded 13 percent of capacity.
These were years when farmers didn't earn enough to feed their livestock.
You may start out with 10 animals, but in the years of drought you escape with two. Just two.
Feeding their families -- even just with the country's traditional soup -- was difficult.
If you want "harira," you have to sell everything. That's the difference between a good year and a bad year.
Despite this year's abundance, the specter of drought hangs over this often-arid nation.
There is very, very significant variation in precipitation from one year to the next.
Each year doesn't resemble any other year
and it's this that makes it problematic to secure food production in Morocco.
This year's rains guarantee water for several years, buying time as the govt finds ways to stretch its water resources.
With support from foreign aid agencies, Morocco has launched several pilot programs in Doukkala.
We have several projects to improve the use of water, such as conversions to drip irrigation systems.
Without dramatic improvements in efficiency, the current record harvests will remain the exception,
while future droughts, and resulting food shortages, may be the rule.
In the meantime, farmers enjoy this year's bounty.
What are you going to do without water? You can't do anything without water.
and hope for more rain.