Meknes: The Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Ahmed El Bouari, and the Minister Delegate in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, signed a joint declaration of intent aimed at accelerating the digital transformation of the agricultural sector.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, this declaration was signed during a meeting organized by the Digital Agriculture Hub in partnership with the Conf©d©ration Marocaine de l’Agriculture et du D©veloppement Rural. This event was held on the sidelines of the 18th Salon International de l’Agriculture au Maroc (SIAM) and seeks to strengthen cooperation between the two departments in integrating artificial intelligence into the agricultural sector.

El Bouari noted that this initiative paves the way for the ministry to join the Al-Jazari Institutes, a national network of centers of excellence in artificial intelligence. He stressed that agriculture must accelerate its digital transformation to meet future challenges, boosting competitiveness and supporting farmers in the face of climate challenges and resource pressures.

Seghrouchni elaborated that the joint declaration will explore new digital avenues to design smart solutions, adding value to the digital economy applied to agriculture. She emphasized her department’s commitment to AI-driven agriculture, highlighting the convergence of priorities around sector digitalization.

Seghrouchni also highlighted the ministry’s role in developing tools for digital and AI-driven transformations, such as data centers, software development platforms, and data factories for Moroccan administrations.

During the meeting, four projects won awards at the Agri-Food Hackathon ‘Agriculture in the Digital Age.’ The first prize was awarded to ‘CoopNak,’ a sesame valorization solution. ‘Agripack’ received the second prize for optimizing traceability and logistics with eco-friendly packaging. The third prize was shared by ‘Filaha Tech,’ an agricultural management platform, and ‘Nidae Douar,’ a collective alert system to limit fungal diseases.

Additionally, two partnership agreements were signed by the Digital Agriculture Hub with COMADER and CDG Invest. The 18th SIAM, held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, continues until April 28 with the theme: ‘Sustainability of Animal Production and Food Sovereignty.’