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Rabat – As climate change threatens to erode Morocco’s unique oasis ecosystem, the country’s agriculture ministry announced today a new series of measures to mitigate the effect of climate change on oases, and develop resilient agriculture.
Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests Minister Mohammed Sadiki chaired today in Errachidia the signing ceremony of 61 agreements to support projects and local initiatives to adapt oasis agriculture to climate change.
Under a budget of MAD 23.6 million ($2.2 million), the initiative aims to fund sustainability projects related to boosting agricultural activities in oases. Selection criteria for accessing funding include employability, environmental impact, and contribution to women and rural youth empowerment, the ministry said in a statement reported by Morocco’s Press Agency (MAP).
According to the statement, 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.”
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.
Speaking during the signing of the conventions, 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).
“These projects of local initiatives target 1700 people including 21% of women,” the minister said, adding that they will create more than 460 permanent and seasonal jobs.
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