The role of women's cooperatives in the sustainable development of the southern regions of Morocco

Abstract

This article examines the role of women's cooperatives in the sustainable development of Morocco's southern regions, Guelmim-Oued Noun, Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra, and Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, by analysing their economic, social and environmental impacts. Existing scholarship on Moroccan women's cooperatives remains fragmented and predominantly descriptive, rarely articulating, within a single analytical framework, the three pillars of sustainable development with Kabeer's (2005) empowerment framework. This study aims to fill this gap by proposing an integrated and comparative analysis of the three southern regions, drawing on a conceptual framework that combines the social and solidarity economy (Defourny & Nyssens, 2017), women's empowerment (Kabeer, 2005), and the triple-bottom-line approach to sustainable development.

Methodologically, the study adopts an exploratory qualitative approach with an interpretivist stance, based on a systematic documentary analysis (institutional reports from HCP, ODCO, CESE, and the Ministry of Agriculture from 2020 to 2024; academic literature from 2015–2025) and two in-depth case studies (the Dakhla couscous cooperative and OUM DREYGA cooperative). A thematic analysis grid was developed around the three dimensions of sustainable development, with cross-source triangulation ensuring internal validity.

Findings show that, in 2024, the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region hosts more than 2,100 active cooperatives, 41% of which are female-led; women's cooperatives in the southern provinces have generated, according to ODCO (2023), more than 12,000 direct jobs and an average annual income per member of 18,600 dirhams, a 34% increase between 2018 and 2023. However, the economic shortfall linked to the under-representation of rural women in the labour market is still estimated at 25.3 billion dirhams, or 2.2% of GDP (HCP, 2020). The contributions and limitations of the study are discussed in conclusion.

JEL Classification: J16; J54; O18; Q01; P13.

Paper type: Empirical Research, exploratory multiple case study.