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SimPhy: a simulation game to lessen the impact of phytosanitaries on health and the environment—the case of Merja Zerga in Morocco

  • Crop protection: new strategies for sustainable development
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Abstract

Diffuse phytosanitary pollution is a complex phenomenon to manage. Reducing this type of pollution is one of today’s key socio-economic and environmental challenges. At the regional level, few approaches enable the actors concerned to implement agricultural management strategies to reduce the use and impact of phytosanitary products. Our research problem focused on the consequences of intensive agriculture and, in particular, how to evaluate the impact of phytosanitary products on human health and the environment. In this article, we present the SimPhy simulation game which places the actors from a given region directly into a situation in which they manage farms whilst under pressure to reduce phytosanitaries (quantity and toxicity). The application focused on the Merja Zerga catchment area in Morocco. The region is dominated by intensive agriculture which is located upstream from a Ramsar-classified wetland area. The SimPhy simulation game is based on a decision support system-type tool. It allows us to anticipate the impact of regulations on farming systems. It also enables us to analyse the consequences of the actors’ strategies on farm economies, human health and the quality of ecosystems. Initial results from the SimPhy simulation game enabled the technicians from Agricultural Development Center (CDA) themselves to learn about managing agricultural production systems in a dynamic and interactive fashion. With the simulation game, it was possible to learn about the farmer's ability to adapt to new regulatory constraints, and the involved consequences for toxicity risks for human health and the environment.

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Notes

  1. http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-home/main/ramsar/1_4000_0__

  2. CDA: Agricultural Development Center

  3. Field crops: (bread wheat, durum wheat, grain maize), oleaginous plants (sunflowers)

  4. Cash crops: tomatoes, sugar cane, sugar beet

  5. EToPhy software (2011), APP deposit no: IDDN.FR.001.060017.000.D.C.2011.000.31500

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Acknowledgements

This work has been carried out under the auspices of the Tram research project ‘Managing Toxicity in the Ramsar region (Ecophyto 2018 Plan) and we wish to thank the financial support provided by APR Pesticides du MEDDE (French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy’s call for pesticide research projects) managed by ONEMA (French National Agency for Water and Aquatic Environments) and also by the Languedoc Roussillon Region Laboratory’s ARPE programme. We are also grateful to the Gharb and Loukkos Regional Agricultural Development Boards and the Regional Directorate for Water and Forests in Kenitra, Morocco, for their support and cooperation during the project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIHEAM-IAMM, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier, 3191 Route de Mende, 34093, Montpellier cedex 5, France

    H. Ayadi, Ph. Le Grusse & E. Mandart

  2. University of Montpellier 3, Route de Mende, 34199, Montpellier cedex 5, France

    H. Ayadi & J. P Bord

  3. Institute of Research for Development (IRD) Quartier Hippodrome, BP 2528, Bamako, Mali

    M. Le Bars

  4. DIATAÉ, 3191 Route de Mende, 34093, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    J. Fabre

  5. Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Sciences (IAV), BP 6202-Instituts, 10101, Rabat, Morocco

    A. Bouaziz

Authors
  1. H. Ayadi
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  2. M. Le Bars
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  3. Ph. Le Grusse
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  4. E. Mandart
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  5. J. Fabre
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  6. A. Bouaziz
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  7. J. P Bord
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Le Bars.

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Responsible editor: Michael Matthies

http://www.ramsar.org. The objective of the Ramsar Convention (adopted in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran) is to halt the loss of wetlands, promote the conservation of both them and their flora and fauna and encourage and promote wise use of them.

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Ayadi, H., Le Bars, M., Le Grusse, P. et al. SimPhy: a simulation game to lessen the impact of phytosanitaries on health and the environment—the case of Merja Zerga in Morocco. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 4950–4963 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2244-2

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