43 MARTINDALE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE ers, and other producers, to reduce their usage. When accounting for the increased costs to produce water through desalination, in comparison to the amount currently needed to irrigate a common crop field, Morocco must reassess the influence of water subsidies on managing water demand. In doing so, high consideration should be given to reducing or removing present-day subsidies. There are current indications of progress that can suggest recommended subsidy policy changes. On September 28, 2022, the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, along with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, announced that water subsidies would no longer be provided to irrigate avocado trees, new citrus trees, and red watermelons. By removing existing water subsidies on these crops, Morocco has positioned itself to introduce additional effective demand strategies beyond the country’s more water-intensive crops. Morocco has thus established a framework to target crops with a more moderate water demand but must act on this potential (Zouiten, 2022). Pairing education with policy Successful implementation of financial policy that addresses water demand management concerns must be accompanied by educational programs and initiatives. In doing so, systematic changes to water consumption management will be better received, thereby encouraging individuals, businesses, and government entities to incorporate conservation strategies. As an example, Singapore introduced a collection of initiatives aimed at increasing awareness through public campaigns and challenges designed to encourage water conservation. Households were urged to install more efficient water systems with smart devices that quantify water usage with connotated feedback like “very good” or “too much,” while companies were pressured to adopt better strategies to meet public demand for water-efficient products through mandates to submit water-efficient plans, to complete water efficiency training courses, and to disclose company water efficiency rates to public consumers (Sanlath & Masila, 2020). Ultimately, short-term campaigns and incentives should be part of larger initiatives to shift the culture of water consumption. Rather than framing water as an expendable economic good, the goal is to portray water as a valuable resource, sensitizing people to their consumption practices (Gómez Fuentes, 2012). These initiatives must take shape through activating community-level campaigns while instituting government oversight for top-down, industrial usage strategies. With water accessibility continuing to increase in communities like Laayoune, Morocco must institute local campaigns that promote water’s status as a precious resource. Beyond community campaigns, Morocco can look toward implementing regulations on industry usage of water. Agricultural products sold could be required to disclose their water efficiency rates, while larger farming companies could be mandated to provide efficiency plans in order to receive support to continue operations. Moving toward a portfolio of solutions on the global stage With its National Water Plan, Morocco is in a good position to adopt appropriate water demand management programs to combat water scarcity. If it does so successfully, Morocco can serve as a model for other water-scarce nations. To develop a comprehensive water scarcity resiliency plan, it is crucial to find “a combination [of solutions] that responds well over a range of conditions” (Daigger, 2023). In other words, Morocco must establish a portfolio of solutions in which each approach contributes to the broadly impactful issue of water scarcity. Ideally, the various elements should be implemented concurrently. While desalination shows promise in production volume and consistency, there are environmental and economic costs associated with the technology. Although wastewater recycling addresses many of the cost concerns of desalination, acquiring societal buy-in requires time and resources. Despite the need to alter water usage practices through demand management, technology is still necessary to counteract climate change–induced water stresses. Establishing an inclusive program where each existing solution provides its own benefits to supplement the drawbacks of others, Morocco will ensure a combination that creates an effective framework overall, one that may also serve as a model for other nations. Providing Morocco continues to expand its national water strategies with a focus on demand management while implementing technologies, the country’s progress toward reducing water scarcity can serve as a case study for the extreme water scarcity across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Twelve of the region’s countries are included among the world’s 17 countries (home to a quarter of the global population) experiencing “extremely high” baseline water stress. Many of these MENA countries lack the necessary framework to combat water scarcity. Challenges like unstable government structures and economic factors limit such countries’ ability to implement successful strategies like those Morocco has begun to lay out. With this
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