The National Committee for Monitoring the Direct Seeding Program Holds a Meeting and Achieves Encouraging Field Results
As part of the monitoring and implementation of the National Direct Seeding Program, Mouhit Al-Filahi magazine has learned from reliable sources that the National Coordination Committee for Direct Seeding held a meeting on March 18, via video conferencing. The meeting was attended by regional agricultural directorates, the National Office for Agricultural Advisory Services, the National Institute for Agricultural Research, and key partners, including the “Al Moutmir” Initiative, “Tobra,” the Crédit Agricole Group of Morocco, and the Moroccan Association for Conservation Agriculture.
Encouraging Achievements and Expanding Areas…
The meeting reviewed the progress of the National Direct Seeding Program, which is part of the “Green Generation” strategy.
Discussions also focused on future goals, with a target of 400,000 hectares for the next season and a roadmap to achieve one million hectares of direct seeding by 2030 under the “Green Generation” strategy. This technique has proven to increase productivity by 30%, with some regions achieving up to 100% improvement compared to traditional farming methods.
A Digital Platform to Enhance Program Monitoring…
During the meeting, a sophisticated digital platform was introduced, leveraging remote sensing technologies and field data to enhance monitoring and evaluation of the initiative. This platform aims to engage farmers and young people in transitioning toward more efficient and sustainable agriculture.
Direct Seeding: A National Success Despite Challenges..
In an exclusive statement to Mouhit Al-Filahi, Dr. Rachid Moussadek, National Coordinator of the Direct Seeding Project and principal researcher the National Institute for Agricultural Research and ICARDA, affirmed that the Direct Seeding Project has achieved tangible positive results on the ground, despite the challenges posed by low rainfall during the past season.
He explained that the area cultivated using direct seeding techniques increased from 85,000 hectares last season to 160,000 hectares as of March this year, with expectations to reach 200,000 hectares by the end of the current agricultural season, particularly within autumn crops.
Dr. Moussadek also emphasized the pivotal role of the Ministry of Agriculture in supporting this national project. The ministry has provided over 750 direct seeding planters to assist farmers and agricultural associations in adopting this innovative technique.
Additionally, he praised the contributions of ICARDA’s “Excellence in Agronomy” initiative and the World Bank, both of which offer substantial support to facilitate this transition toward more sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural practices.
He also congratulate all public (DDFP, DRAs, INRA, ONCA, ADA,..), private partners (Almoutmir, Tourba, AMAC, GCAM, etc) and international entities (CGIAR/ICARDA, WB, ..) for supporting this ambitious programme to make the cereal based system more resilient in Morocco.
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