The National Institute of Agricultural Research in Rabat Leads Morocco’s Efforts in Training Caribbean Officials on Soil Fertility Mapping and Agricultural Development..

As part of the implementation of the cooperation roadmap between the Moroccan government and Caribbean countries in the agricultural sector, the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organized an intensive training program for dozens of officials from the Ministries of Agriculture of five Caribbean islands: Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, and Dominica. This training was conducted in fruitful cooperation between the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation, and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Benguerir.

The training aimed to exchange expertise and experiences in the field of soil fertility mapping using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and advanced digital tools. This approach represents a critical step towards achieving food security in Caribbean countries by leveraging Morocco’s leading experience in this field.

Morocco, which has made significant progress in soil management and the use of modern technologies in the preparation of agricultural fertility maps, is offering its expertise to these countries to enhance their capacity to face agricultural challenges related to climate change and the scarcity of natural resources. This cooperation reflects Morocco’s commitment to strengthening international partnerships, particularly with developing countries, in pursuit of sustainable agricultural development and food security.

Benefiting from Morocco’s experience in the use of modern technology, particularly in GIS, will enable Caribbean countries to develop accurate soil fertility maps, contributing to improving the quality of agricultural production and optimizing land use planning. This training will also provide modern tools for developing effective agricultural policies that ensure sustainable agricultural growth, improving the lives of rural communities in these sister nations to the Kingdom of Morocco.

This cooperation between Morocco and the Caribbean nations aligns with the royal directives, which emphasize the importance of strengthening international partnerships, especially with southern countries, through the exchange of expertise and experiences to achieve sustainable development. Under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco seeks to deepen its relationships with developing countries, particularly in fields such as agriculture and food security, thus fostering solidarity and cooperation among southern nations for the benefit of their peoples, focusing on innovation and the use of modern technologies to achieve shared development.

In this way, Morocco continues to play its leading role on the international stage, offering its expertise and knowledge to its international partners in order to build a more sustainable and secure agricultural future for the generations to come.
“This south south collaboration was launched since 2016” and actually, we have more than 10 Caribbean countries interested in this soil fertility GIS program.
as said by Dr Rachid Moussadek, Senior Scientist INRA/ICARDA and chair of Global Soil Partnership NENA.

#ADIL EL ARABI