Rabat: The World Bank has approved a $4 million grant aimed at enhancing the resilience of Morocco’s agri-food system to climate change while improving food safety and quality. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to fortify the country’s agricultural sector against the adverse impacts of climate change, as outlined in a press release by the international financial institution.
According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, this new grant is an addition to the $250 million initially sanctioned for the program in December 2024. The Washington-based institution elaborated that the additional funding targets demand-side constraints faced by small- and medium-scale farmers, particularly in transitioning Morocco’s rainfed cereal sector to conservation agriculture.
The World Bank has announced that the program will benefit approximately 1,200 farmers across 20,000 hectares. Support will be provided through digital e-vouchers, which reduce production costs by offering services like direct seeding and access to
climate-resilient seeds. The project will also help cereal and legume farmers, including women and youth, by facilitating financial access and improving market reach through efficient harvest pooling.
The program will enhance project management, monitoring, and evaluation to track adoption, measure yield gains, and quantify climate mitigation benefits, such as reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, World Bank executed technical assistance will aid in designing and implementing the e-voucher system and evaluating its impact.
The institution emphasized the importance of the agri-food sector to Morocco’s economy and rural livelihoods, particularly in light of consecutive droughts that have highlighted the vulnerability of rainfed cereal production. The additional financing aims to expand conservation agriculture to stabilize yields, enhance soil and water management, and reduce exposure to climate shocks.
Furthermore, the program supports the One World Bank Group approach through collaboration
between the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). It also contributes to the AgriConnect initiative by boosting employment in cereal and legume value chains and enhancing food and nutrition security.
Ahmadou Moustapha Ndiaye, World Bank Division Director for the Maghreb and Malta, stated that the additional financing will help Morocco create green jobs in rural areas and strengthen national food security by promoting climate-smart practices and innovative, digitally enabled support for smallholders. He emphasized that the project sustains the momentum of the previously approved program and deepens the partnership under the One World Bank Group approach.
The program aims to assist farmers in producing and marketing higher-quality, safer food while increasing their incomes, maintaining continuity with the initial financing, as highlighted by the Bretton Woods institution.