Morocco’s Taza province is set to benefit from a EUR82.6 million agricultural development project that aims to help more than 11 000 households in rural areas adapt to the effects of climate change.

The Taza Mountain Integrated Rural Development Project has been launched to build the resilience of smallholder farmers through various means, including the introduction of an orchard development model that is adapted to drought conditions (in a bid to diversify the grain-dominated system); the planting of 9 800 ha of almonds, 1 000 ha of figs and 600 hectares of olives; protecting 33 000 ha of cultivated land against erosion; and the rehabilitation of rural roads to improve access to markets and reduce transportation costs.

The project is jointly financed by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Moroccan government and various other parties.

The project, says IFAD country director for Morocco Naoufel Telahigue, is ‘aligned with Morocco’s priorities in poverty reduction, nutrition and food security and addressing the needs of women and youth’. The North African nation’s agriculture sector contributes 13% to the country’s GDP and generates 85% of jobs in rural areas.

10 December 2019
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