PRELIMINARY TYPOLOGY OF AGROBIOLOGICAL FARMS IN THE SEMI-ARID REGION OF ALGERIA

Abstract

Algeria has shown a delay in terms of organic agriculture, although this latter covers diverse agricultural practices and structural potential that have shown to be advantageous to the development of this sector. However, the aim of this Paper is to elaborate a typology of organic agriculture in the semi-arid regions of Algeria, for the purpose of presenting a reading grid so as to be acquainted with the size, distribution and diversity of the organic crops within the study area; in virtue of which, a survey was conducted on the conduct and the structure of organic farm. Visits had also been made to eighty plots of land. Consequently, the results of this survey allowed us to group organic agriculture into three types on the basis of structural and operational criteria: the first type is certified, often modern, small in number, following international specifications, and frequently located in the East; the second one is mixed, respecting the standards of organic agriculture, not certified but large in size; as for the third type, it is traditional, in other words natural, and more widespread. Subsequently, organic agriculture in Algeria is limited in terms of space and number, whilst the majority of practices have shown to be of traditional nature, poorly supervised and controlled due to the technical, socio-economic and agricultural policy constraints.