The government of Morocco is set to place measures to mitigate the effect of climate change on oases, and develop resilient agriculture.
Mohammed Sadiki, the Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests Minister inked 61 agreements to support projects and local initiatives to adapt oasis agriculture to climate change.
61 projects
Sadiki detailed that the 61 projects selected will be carried out by 30 agricultural cooperatives, 18 associations, seven service cooperatives, three foundations, two associations of agricultural water users (AUEA), and an economic interest grouping (EIG).
The initiatives will be under a budget of US $2.2million. Selection criteria for accessing funding include employability, environmental impact, and contribution to women and rural youth empowerment.
“The conventions further aim to “secure, develop and make Morocco’s agriculture more resilient to climate change agricultural activities on a perimeter of 5000 ha in the oases downstream from the Kaddoussa dam,” said Mohammed Sadiki.
The initiative is part of the Program for the Development of Irrigation and Adaptation of Agriculture to Climate Change (PDIAA-CC) downstream from the Kaddoussa dam, co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Moroccan government. It is also part of Morocco’s new Generation Green strategy which aims to establish resilient and eco-efficient agriculture, improve living conditions in rural areas, and create jobs.
