At a time when the Kingdom has made the strategic choice to ensure its food sovereigntyTHE agricultural sectorswhich should normally constitute the basis of this sovereignty, are bearing the brunt of the succession of years of drought and the effects linked to climate change. An observation confirmed by the department ofAgriculture. “Morocco is today faced with major socio-economic and environmental challenges, particularly in terms of food sovereignty, with a need to strengthen the national production of essential agricultural products, such as cereals, sugar, edible oilsTHE fruitsTHE vegetablesTHE meats and milk. Which implies an increased development of the sectors of plant and animal production to guarantee regular supply to the market and reduce dependence on imports,” explains the ministry in an exclusive statement to the newspaper “Le Matin”.
Thus, as part of the declination of the axes of the second foundation of the strategy Generation Green (2020-2030) relating to the continued development of production sectors, the Department of Agriculture had concluded with agricultural inter-professional associations, program contracts for the development and modernization of the main production sectors. production agricolecovering 15 plant sectors and 5 animal sectors. Except that these contractual frameworks, as ambitious as they are, are faced with a major challenge: the drought recurring. According to Agriculture, the succession of droughts over the last six agricultural campaigns has had a negative impact on both the crops grown in Bour and the water resources forirrigation. This limits production in irrigated areas.
In addition to unpredictable fluctuations in precipitation, the climate changes experienced by Morocco, like other countries, have led to an increase in thermal amplitudes affecting the development cycles of the main crops. Faced with these challenges, the ministry is forced to reinvent its intervention mechanisms.
Crops resistant to water stress
His new battle plan thus provides for several new measures. This concerns the reorientation of aid granted by the State within the framework of the Agricultural Development Fund (FDA) towards the replacement of crops vulnerable to lack of water with plant species resilient to climate change. Another measure, the reconversion of crops sensitive to lack of water with crops more resistant to water stress such asolivierthe date palml’argan treethe cactusl’almondthe fig tree and the carob tree. Alongside these mechanisms, the Department of Agriculture is working on the development and use of genetically improved varieties to cope with drought and the scarcity of water resources, particularly for cerealsTHE legumes and the oilseed crops.
Support for investment in water-saving techniques
The supervision of professional organizations and support for investment, particularly in terms of irrigation water saving techniques, are considered equally strategic. A project that the ministry intends to accelerate in the coming years. The ministry’s plan also provides for the continuation of insurance for cerealsTHE legumes and the oilseed crops and for the fruit trees against climate risks in addition to the acceleration of the direct seeding development program with a view to covering an area of one million hectares by 2030 for major crops, including cereals, legumes, fodder crops and oilseed crops. All combined with support for supplementary irrigation to cover the water needs of crops in Bour with a view to improving the stability of production and promoting the use of renewable energies for production.
Other projects, the development ofecological agriculture through the adoption of natural resource conservation practices (water and soil), the sustainable improvement of productivity and the promotion and dissemination of these techniques in addition to the adoption and dissemination of green technologies and the development of digitalization in agriculture. Also, as part of the regional application of the Generation Green strategy, the choice of suitable crops is prioritized taking into account the edapho-climatic potential specific to each region.
In addition, a new generation of solidarity projects has been launched to improve farmers’ income, particularly through projects to retrain vulnerable farmers towards crops resistant to water stress and intensification projects to increase productivity. In the wake of these projects, Agriculture claims to be intensifying diversification projects aimed at creating additional income for farmers through the development of local products such as saffron, honey, aromatic and medicinal plants and couscous. . n
