On March 30, 2026, Green Smile organized the second edition of the AgriPro Afterwork at the Sofitel Royal Bay in Agadir. Following the success of the first session dedicated to desalination, this edition focused on a topic that is becoming central to the sector : Agricultural workforce : shortage, performance and new skills.

Sponsored by Agro Care, this second session brought together key professionals from across the agricultural ecosystem, including HR managers and directors, producers and industry partners. The objective was clear : to initiate a discussion around one of the most critical limiting factors for the development of the Moroccan Agricultural sector.

In a context of growing workforce constraints and evolving sector demands, the second session of the AgriPro Afterwork served as a platform for exchange and reflection, enabling professionals to share insights, experiences, and concrete solutions to better anticipate and adress these emerging workforce challenges.

A concerning diagnosis: agricultural workforce as a limiting factor

The discussions highlighted that this tension is no longer just a temporary or cyclical imbalance, but a deep-seated transformation of the agricultural workforce market. As Issam Ait Hida noted in his opening remarks, the signals are clear: 60% of agricultural employers report real difficulties in recruiting qualified workers. This is happening in a context marked by an urbanization rate of 62.8%, with around 25% of young people aged 15 to 24 in a NEET situation (neither in employment, training, nor education), and a fertility rate close to 2, well below the generational renewal threshold.

A paradox of the agricultural workforce market

These figures shed light on the paradox highlighted throughout the session: despite high unemployment and a theoretical pool of available young people, farms are struggling to recruit and, more importantly, to retain talent. Several participants pointed out that the problem isn't only quantitative; it lies in the difficulty of sustainably mobilizing this workforce. Social aspirations are evolving, the rural pool is shrinking, and other sectors like construction or cabling appear far more attractive to the younger generation.

A misalignment between investments and human resources

This tension is reinforced by a growing misalignment between productive investments and the actual availability of people on the ground. One participant put it quite directly, recalling the rapid expansion of certain sectors (particularly berries) without the issue of the necessary workforce being addressed beforehand. This sentiment echoes the diagnosis made by Issam Ait Hida: in some cases, the sector has invested beyond its real capacity to mobilize human resources, turning labor into a primary limiting factor for continuity and performance.

The structuring role of seasonality

A broad consensus emerged around the central role of seasonality, which appeared as the main factor of disorganization. By concentrating needs over very short periods, it creates intense competition between employers, fuels high turnover, weakens retention, and weighs heavily on productivity. Issam Ait Hida’s presentation highlighted this “seasonality cycle,” where low retention, rising hidden costs, absenteeism, and organizational fragility follow one another. One participant suggested that it might be time to reflect on better spreading out production cycles to smooth those aggressive demand peaks throughout the year.

Intermediation difficulties and the role of ANAPEC

The ANAPEC intervention provided valuable insight into the struggles of intermediation. It was noted that integrating workers is becoming increasingly difficult, largely because demands arrive all at once, for the same profiles and the same crops. ANAPEC highlighted the need to prepare workforce pools well in advance, describing the Chtouka Ait Baha area as saturated. A striking point was raised: a part of the male population no longer wishes to work in agriculture in this capacity. It was noted that the majority of workers are now women, especially in the berry sector, which brings specific challenges regarding working conditions and organization, a phenomenon identified but still not fully explained. ANAPEC also mentioned the effects of subsidies and social assistance, which can sometimes encourage people to avoid formal employment to keep certain benefits linked to formalization, particularly around the CNSS.

ANAPEC also recalled that employers have a strong expectation for already trained profiles, yet the question of who should bear the cost of this training remains open. It was suggested to set up certified training programs to facilitate the integration of NEET youth, particularly in irrigation or berry and tomato harvesting. Finally, the migration of female workers to Spain was discussed; while the volumes are relatively limited (between 400 and 600 people at the regional level), it raises a deeper question: why do some women choose to leave their country and children to work elsewhere?

Several speakers also pointed out the informal recruitment approach within the agricultural workforce market, as transporters and middlemen are often in charge of this aspect. This reality also echoes another point raised by ANAPEC: for part of the agricultural population, often with low literacy levels, formal registration or job offer procedures remain difficult to access.

Attractiveness of the sector and employer brand

The discussions also showed that the issue goes far beyond wages. Several speakers insisted on the evolution of workers’ expectations, mainly among women, according to the observations shared. It was highlighted that workers now make more trade-offs between employers, choosing certain companies or crops over others, and giving much more importance to working conditions, transport, stability, respect, and the overall quality of the work environment. These factors directly impact the attractiveness of farms and explain why some workers prefer one company over another.

On this point, Issam Ait Hida clarified that, in practice, most employers pay above the agricultural minimum wage during a large part of the year, and many companies have made real improvements in housing and benefits. And yet, the problem persists. According to him, this confirms that the difficulty is structural and relates to the overall image of the sector. He insisted on a key point: agricultural work has changed, but the worker’s mindset has also evolved. The sector can no longer rely on old logics; it must now build a real agricultural employer brand—one that is both differentiated and credible.

Structural constraints and the role of public actors

APEFEL, for its part, recalled that producers cannot alone bear all the shortcomings of the rural world. The organization mentioned the obstacles related to worker housing within farms, explaining that constructions once possible are now blocked by rural urban planning rules and administrative controls. It also highlighted the deterioration of rural roads and transport risks. APEFEL stressed the need for a common language between the different actors: local authorities, the Ministry of the Interior, and producers to address these issues coherently. Finally, while recognizing the need to improve the conditions offered to workers, it underlined that any evolution must remain compatible with economic profitability and the competitiveness of the sector, particularly in relation to competing countries such as Egypt.

A lack of data and understanding

Several interventions showed that the current crisis is also a crisis of understanding. Participants expressed regret over the lack of data: regional figures, workforce distribution, forms of internal migration, and the differences between large companies and small producers. One participant asked whether large companies and small producers face the problem in the same way, while another recalled that a one-off solution would have little effect if cultivated areas continue to increase rapidly year after year. Driss Soufiani insisted on the need for a sociological study to better understand behaviors, particularly those of young people and social aid beneficiaries. He also broadened the debate by highlighting that this workforce issue has a direct impact on Morocco’s food sovereignty, even raising the risk that the country may one day have to import strategic productions like tomatoes.

Transformation of professions and upskilling

The transformation of professions also occupied an important place in the discussions. Issam Ait Hida’s presentation showed that the agricultural sector is moving from execution-centered jobs to more structured and managed roles, with a rise in quality, compliance, traceability, and proximity management functions. Three blocks of skills were highlighted: technical skills, transversal organizational skills, and managerial skills. This evolution was echoed by a participant who stated that the real problem is not necessarily the lack of people, but the lack of qualified profiles. He advocated for the creation of a training school for workers and supervisors, considering that professionalizing these intermediate functions has become essential.

A roadmap structured around five pillars

Beyond the diagnosis, Issam Ait Hida’s presentation proposed a structured roadmap, providing avenues for solutions based on five interdependent pillars.

1. Social protection: This is not just about strengthening coverage, but about securing career paths, protecting families, and making dignity at work a concrete part of the sector’s attractiveness. Health, safety, and the quality of the daily work experience are levers just as important as remuneration.
2. Regulatory framework: The discussions confirmed the need for a clearer, more modern framework adapted to the reality of agricultural work, particularly regarding seasonality, declaration rules, housing, and the grey areas that fuel informality. The goal is not to add rigidity, but to align competitiveness with fairness. This issue also echoed the remark that there is currently no real structuring legal framework to manage seasonality, with practices still largely relying on case law.
3. Strategic mobility: Issam Ait Hida insisted that mobility is a strategic variable for access to work. This means better connecting employment areas to production areas, organizing movements, and thinking carefully about both national and international mobility. This was reflected in discussions about transport, rural roads, and migration from other regions. The idea put forward is that retention cannot be considered without a broader territorial ecosystem, including reliable transport, schools, and health services.
4. Expansion of the workforce pool: The presentation identified young people, women, and populations currently distant from the sector as priority targets. However, discussions showed that this mobilization won't be possible without addressing concrete barriers: transport, information, safety, and compatibility with family constraints. Several participants called for better valuing agricultural work and building a credible value proposition for those who could join the sector.
5. Productivity through skills: This axis directly addressed operational concerns. Issam Ait Hida presented the professionalization of career paths and proximity management as central elements of the sector’s transformation. This orientation echoes the call for training not only workers but also technicians and middle managers. It also aligns with the proposal to combine technology and human capital, developing targeted mechanization for certain tasks while maintaining a balance with the realities of manual crops. The objective is not to replace human work, but to improve the overall performance of the system.

A necessary collective governance:

Finally, the presentation insisted on the need for collective governance. The discussions confirmed this point: no single actor can solve the issue alone. Producers, professional organizations, the State, ANAPEC, local authorities, and administrations must act within a shared agenda. This idea of shared responsibility was reaffirmed by Issam Ait Hida, who recalled that some responses fall directly under public action, particularly when it comes to restoring a balance between formal work, social benefits, and economic competitiveness.

To sum up, the discussions during this afterwork made it clear that the issue of agricultural workforce goes far beyond simple recruitment. It touches on how work is organized, how attractive the sector is, how professions are evolving, the balance between territories, and ultimately the ability of Moroccan agriculture to remain both efficient and sustainable.

One of the key strengths of the session was its ability to combine a very concrete, field-based diagnosis with a structured and actionable roadmap. Rather than relying on a single solution, the approach brings together a set of coherent levers: better protection for workers and their families, clearer rules, improved mobility, a broader and more accessible talent pool, and strong investment in skills, management, and professionalization. This overall vision, reflected in Issam Ait Hida’s roadmap, was a central thread throughout the discussions.

In this perspective, workforce is no longer seen as a simple adjustment variable, but as a fundamental driver of resilience, compliance, and growth. The real challenge now is for the sector to move away from a reactive approach to labor shortages and toward a true, shared human capital strategy involving all stakeholders.