The design and diffusion of technical innovations in large-scale irrigation schemes in Morocco have generally been understood as necessarily stemming from centralized public policies. This situation tends to mask farmers' local initiatives. We analyzed local networks for innovation and coordination practices among local actors, in the case of the introduction of citrus plantations in an agrarian reform cooperative of the Gharb irrigation scheme. These networks and practices appeared as the motor for innovation around which revolved social and technical stakes and an issue of identity construction. Revealing these dynamics provides guidance for renewing the approaches to support farmers and more generally rural communities.
