Access to groundwater and transformations of oasis space: the case of Adrar (Southwestern Algerian Sahara)
The foggara, an underground irrigation system, is a fundamental feature of the mental and spiritual worlds of the population of the Saharan Adrar region and a keystone of their social organization. Irrigation by foggaras is no longer providing adequate water, due to the fact that the flow of foggaras has been slowly decreasing and to a lack of maintenance and a certain degree of neglect by farmers. In 1983, a new instrument was adopted as part of the Access to Agricultural Land Ownership (APFA) framework of agricultural development. Major subsidies were allocated to agricultural promoters to modernize agriculture. However, the loss of traditional knowledge in the field of hydraulic management has disrupted the oasis ecosystem. In this study, we will try to understand how we can best define the current dynamics of relations between society and the environment in the Adrar oases and the risks they pose for the future of these particular areas.