International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology Vol-7, Issue-1; Jan-Feb, 2022 Journal Home Page Available: https://ijeab.com/ Journal DOI: 10.22161/ijeab Peer Reviewed ISSN: 2456-1878 (Int. J. Environ. Agric. Biotech.) https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijeab.71.18 155 Characterization of the diversity of peri-urban farms in the metropolis of Casablanca in Morocco to facilitate their agroecological transition to more sustainable food systems Fatiha Hakimi Department of Production, Protection and Plant Biotechnology, Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, Rabat, Morocco Email: hakimi.fatiha@gmail.com Received: 17 Dec 2021; Received in revised form: 01 Feb 2022; Accepted: 09 Feb 2022; Available online: 19 Feb 2022 ©2022 The Author(s). Published by Infogain Publication. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Abstract—A characterization based on agricultural practices was carried out using surveys of 50 farmers in six agricultural zones in peri-urban area of Casablanca in Morocco. The objective was to assess the potential of peri-urban farms for transition towards more ecological production methods. The study revealed that 96% of farmers use chemical inputs, only two of them adopt organic or agroecological production methods and 14% of respondents plan to convert to organic farming. The typology allowed deducing that peri-urban farms are medium to large (> 3 ha), mostly family-owned and 24% of them adopt subsistence farming (vegetable crops, cereals, leguminous and fruit trees). All farms have common strengths, such as the widespread practice of crop rotation and associations and organic fertilization. Thus, they are playing a major role in environmental management by recycling livestock products in form of organic manure and by using crop compost for soil maintenance. However, farms are facing global challenges in terms of the significant expansion of urban spaces, insufficient and high cost of agricultural labor, lack of technical support and water shortage. But also, specific challenges in terms of use of synthetic pesticides and sustainable fertilization for an agroecological transition. Producers are unaware about the effects of their practices on the environment, especially in peri-urban areas where technical support is insufficient and awareness of health and environmental impacts of agricultural practices needs to be consolidated. Keywords—Agroecology, Environment, Food security, Peri-urban agriculture, Sustainability, Typology. I. INTRODUCTION Urbanization is a global phenomenon that is changing living conditions and environments on all continents [1]. This is due to rural exodus and urban population growth. The spatiotemporal process of urbanization occurs in different ways and varies from one country to another and between the cities. Several areas, known originally for their agricultural production, have become today large cities in full expansion and development. Nowadays, these growing cities are expanding and encroaching onto nearby fertile agricultural [2, 3, 4, 5]. Most cities face population growth and urban sprawl, leading to high agricultural land consumption, increased food demand, unemployment and environmental pollution. This urbanization was accompanied by the emergence of peri-urban agriculture, appearing on the fringes of cities. The development of the metropolis has profoundly changed the territory. The intersection of the two worlds, rural and urban, creates a third space: the peri-urban. Peri-urban agriculture in the metropolis of Casablanca is considered as agriculture located on the outskirts of the city. It processes and distributes a range of food products to meet the needs of the urban population, using the human and natural resources, products and services present in and around this urban area. This kind of agriculture includes various speculations (vegetable crops, cereals, arboriculture, fodder crops, livestock, ...) and offers several