SUSTAINABILITY OF PALM DATE’S FARMS AT OUARGLA; ANALYSIS OF SOME SOCIOCULTURAL CRITERIAS

Abstract

The rehabilitation and preservation of Palm dates trees heritage are strategicaly important, thus on the agro-ecological, economical and social level.They respond perfectly to all palm dates trees farmers concerns that the Government has supported ; through several programs for many decades including Local Initiatives Projects (LIP). In order to grasp the socio-cultural sustainability of palm dates farms, surveys were carried out on a sample of 16% of farmers joining the LIP through the oases of Ouargla; especialy Ouargla, N’goussa, Zaouia labidia and Elhajira targeting criterias about farmers : thier age ; educational level ; descendants future activity and types of the agricultural workforce. The results show that the farmers are mainly elderly or adults (86.9%), they are 60% illiterate but strongly attached to their oases while their descendants move towards other more gainful sectors.In the other hand, 64% of PILs are carried out by companies and design offices managed by young people, which can claim a certain reintegration of young people into oasis activity.Entrepreneurship can create a training effect for young farmers to might be interested in oases activities.Regarding, the workforce, one of the most relevant indicators of socio-cultural sustainability, is for its half (52%) family type with a fairly good upgrading of seasonal workforce (41%).The results agregation of the criteria developed in this study indicates a trend towards the possibility of improving the socio-cultural situation. Thus, the sustainability of palm dates farms in Ouargla.