Summary - A short empirical survey was conducted in the Doukkala irrigation scheme in Morocco in order to determine the institutional constraints which today impact irrigation efficiency. Since water scarcity is the prevalent problem in the Doukkala, which a modernisation to a certain degree should overcome, it was assumed that the present institutional constraints on irrigation efficiency are those which are at the same time potential future institutional constraints for an effective agricultural modernisation in the Doukkala. The identified constraints have manifested themselves in the mental attitudes of the farmers towards the access to water and the distribution and application efficiencies of irrigation. On the basis of the results of this study, it is proposed to organise capacity building workshops in order to facilitate collective modernisation in this irrigation scheme.