Youth in the Maghreb and the New Oases Expansions: A Mutual Rescue Approaching Its Limits

As we enter the second half of the 21st century, a new era is emerging for the oases of the world and the Maghreb. This transformation is characterized by the development of new agricultural areas outside the traditional oases, facilitated by some opportunities for access to water and land, as well as generous public subsidies. This situation has allowed young people to revitalize the oasis agriculture through generational renewal, while agriculture, in turn, offers youth employment opportunities and socio-economic emancipation.

However, over the past two decades, this mutual rescue appears to be reaching its limits, resulting in a paradoxical situation. On one hand, opportunities for accessing water and land are becoming increasingly restricted, particularly in the face of climate change, which affects both the quantity and quality of these resources. Paradoxically, governments, such as that of Morocco, continue to encourage investments in these areas, particularly through "youth agricultural entrepreneurship." In this context, young people find themselves on a tension line between opportunities for expansion and constraints limiting the agricultural extensions of oases.

Indeed, this presentation aims to elucidate the experiences of youth in this uncertain situation and how they navigate both the opportunities and constraints of social and economic emancipation within the oases. We will draw upon empirical experiences from the oases of Ferkla in Morocco as a local lens through which to examine this broader issue. Initially, we will contextualize the socio-historical and political processes that have led to this paradoxical situation, before focusing on the lived experiences of young men and women who seek to negotiate their access to these new agricultural expansions. Finally, we will engage in a theoretical discussion regarding the term "youth" in light of the renewed concept of "generation" in youth studies.