The Ouargla Basin is an oasis in south-eastern Algeria, located in the Sahara desert about 850 km south-east of the capital, and is considered the reason for human survival in a hostile, hyper-arid environment. Traditional agriculture has been the main economic activity of the oasis population, whose production is mainly intended for domestic consumption (subsistence farming). This oasis has suffered extreme neglect and degradation in recent years, threatening the existence of this heritage. The aim of the present study is to establish a typology for a better understanding of the real causes of the degradation of the palm groves, in order to be able to use it later to propose programs for the sustainable development of the oasis agrarian system. To do this, we went to the bottom of the palm groves. We carried out a diagnosis based on a survey of the palm groves in order to identify the agro-ecological, sociological and economic constraints and problems. We identified five agro-systems: the abandoned system, the regressive system, the stagnant system, the progressive system and the improved system. The diversity of the types demonstrates the importance of the activity within the palm groves of the Ouargla basin, which needs to be developed and to which we should pay more attention.