- Resource System
- Watershed and associated topography
- Resource Units
- Irrigation water
- Location
- Sefrou, Morocco
The Ait Sidi Musa irrigation system is located northwest from the town of Sefrou in Morroco. It encompasses a geographical area of approximately 147 ha which is characterized by little precipitation and high elevation (1,300 meters). The case study involves an undetermined snapshot in time and catalogues an action situation involving an unknown number of community members and households which are dependent on the water distribution system (mubih or queue distribution system) to divert stream water to their fields. Water is the primary fugitive resource unit.
The original case study authors focused on water scarcity and its influence on institutional performance. The case study has subsequently been used in comparative analyses regarding Ostrom's Design Principles (see bibliography).
Ratajczyk E, Arizona State University.
Brady U, Arizona State University.
. 1996. The Dry and the Drier: Cooperation and Conflict in Moroccan Irrigation. Canals and Communities: Small scale irrigation systems. :69-87.
. 2010. A Review of Design Principles for Community-based Natural Resource Management. Ecology and Society. 15(4):38.
. 2016. Explaining success and failure in the commons: the configural nature of Ostrom’s institutional design principles. International Journal of the Commons. 10(2):417–439.