Enhancing food security and climate resilience in Morocco through innovative seed systems and scaling mechanisms in wheat production systems

 

Wheat is Morocco's primary staple food crop; however, wheat productivity is low, with an average yield of less than two tons per hectare. Morocco meets an average of 60% of its wheat needs and relies on imports, particularly in dry years. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has directly impacted Morocco’s wheat prices, and the situation worsens with the occurrence of extreme weather conditions, mainly heat waves and/or drought. Renewal and improvement of wheat varieties have remained stagnant for more than 20 years, and the current seed system has limited capacity to produce, multiply and distribute enough quality seeds to meet farmers’ demands.

This project will assess the existing seed system and work with public, private and community organizations to design, test and establish more efficient and gender-responsive interventions to upgrade it, including women's participation in certified seed multiplication. Six innovation platforms will be established in two different agroecological zones to facilitate stakeholders' participation in piloting and demonstrating the impacts of improved varieties and crop management practices on productivity, income and climate resilience. It is expected that 5,000 men and women farmers will be adopting improved wheat varieties and agronomic practices (including conservation agriculture and supplemental irrigation informed by digital sensors and satellite imagery), thus contributing to increasing the productivity of wheat-based production systems and their resilience to climate change.

This project is supported through the Wheat Research Accelerator Fund initiative, which is a co-funding partnership between IDRC and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.