Organized under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the 2nd International Congress on Oases and Date Palms 2025 brings together researchers, decision-makers, development actors, and institutional representatives to discuss the crucial issues of sustainability in oasis ecosystems on May 22 and 23, 2025, in Ouarzazate.
This event, led by the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, aims to take stock of current knowledge, discuss opportunities for integrated development, and promote scientific cooperation for the sustainable management of oasis systems.
Topics covered include: water and soil management, biodiversity conservation, climate-smart agriculture, date palm development, combating desertification, socioeconomic resilience, and territorial innovations. Considerable attention will be given to the challenges of climate change, soil salinization, modernization of the date industry, and the promotion of ancestral knowledge.
The congress alternates between plenary conferences, thematic panels, parallel scientific sessions, and posters, with high-level contributions from Moroccan, African, and international actors, notably from CGIAR, ICARDA, INRA Morocco, and partner universities. There is a focus on multi-stakeholder partnerships and the integration of young people and women in the preservation of these fragile environments.
Jean Albergel, emeritus researcher at IRD, University of Montpellier (UMR LISAH), gave a keynote lecture entitled
“Agriculture and water management in arid and hyper-arid environments” at the opening of the session “The Oasis and its physical environment” moderated by Professor Lahcen Kabiri. He presented the challenges of aridoculture and agroecological models of oases in the face of climate change, highlighting water collection practices and ancestral know-how adapted to aridity.
Bernard Bonnet, program manager for Actors, Resources, and Territory at IRAM, participated in a panel discussion on Water, Soil, Biodiversity, and Socioeconomics: Oases Facing the Challenges of Global Change. He also discussed the relationships between pastoral livestock farming and oasis systems, their evolution, and the challenges of sustainable development in the Sahel-Saharan regions.
