Morocco’s efforts in climate-resilient agriculture and water supply draw praise from World Bank

The World Bank has commended the efforts of the Moroccan authorities to transform the agricultural food products system into a more inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient model, ensuring the production of “safe and healthy food.”

This praise particularly highlights the national “comprehensive” program for the supply of drinking water and irrigation and emphasizes that alongside these initiatives, many farmers are adopting new agricultural technologies, primarily integrating artificial intelligence to “increase production and optimize water usage.”

In the section addressing securing food supplies in Morocco and Ukraine, which is part of a broader report on best practices to guarantee global food security, the Bank confirmed that the Moroccan government is intensifying its efforts to transform the agricultural food system into one that is not only more inclusive and sustainable but also better equipped to withstand climate change, ensuring “safe and healthy food.”

The report also highlighted Morocco’s implementation of the National Drinking Water and Irrigation Program (2020–2027), describing it as “comprehensive” with goals of encouraging sustainable agriculture and improving irrigation networks in drought-prone regions.

The program aims to attract Moroccan youth into the agricultural sector.

The World Bank reviewed its long-standing partnership with Morocco, emphasizing its support for agricultural development through programs aimed at improving agricultural value chains, market access, creating employment opportunities for rural youth, and advancing agricultural technologies, including climate-smart farming practices.

These initiatives are implemented with joint funding from the French Development Agency.

The Bank noted Morocco’s ongoing efforts to modernize irrigation networks and promote sustainable water management in the regions of Chichaoua, Tadla, Souss, and Massa.

The World Bank also discussed a large-scale new program that will encourage organic farming and resource-efficient agricultural practices, including no-till farming to improve soil and water conservation on 1.4 million hectares.

This initiative is expected to expand the use of climate risk insurance to cover 120,000 farmers and improve nutrition, food quality, and safety for over one million consumers.

The Bank highlighted the “Agricultural Young Innovate” competition and the agricultural technology program launched in 2024 through its partnership with Korea, designed to support startups in the agricultural technology sector to find digital solutions for both private sector clients and government agencies.

One of the solutions discussed is using artificial intelligence to estimate crop yields and predict weather events like droughts.

The report also referenced the experience of a Moroccan agricultural investor, one of the first users of AI to predict the water needs of crops in the country.

This investor, Taher Hamdani, explained that a tomato crop with 100 fruits has different water needs than one with 300 fruits, and by adjusting irrigation accordingly, water, fertilizers, and pesticides can be used more efficiently.

The report noted that Ukraine, which is used as a comparative case, is struggling to overcome the impacts of the Russian invasion. Prior to the invasion, thousands of Ukrainian farmers enjoyed prosperous conditions.

Ukraine, a major global exporter of corn, barley, and oilseeds, as well as one of the largest wheat exporters, has seen the agricultural sector’s collapse due to the war.

The war’s ongoing effects on agriculture have had severe global consequences, with food prices from Ukraine doubling in 2023 due to disruptions in logistics and global supply chains.

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