Water-resistant grain seed: a potential substitute in Morocco's agricultural landscape
Check out these stunning wheat spikes exclaims Ethiopian scientist Wuletaw Tadesse Degu, eyeing a field near Rabat, planted with climate-resilient seeds that have become a necessity for a country like Morocco, battling the effects of climate change.
The quaint rural town of Marchouch, 70 kilometers southeast of the capital, has been the site for the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)'s experimental station since 2013, spanning 120 hectares. Here, they research and develop cereal varieties, including wheat and barley, that thrive under climate fluctuations.
Fields abounding with wheat and barley in this town contrast the grim agricultural outlook in Morocco, where the season is compromised by a sixth consecutive year of drought. Lower rainfall has reduced the land planted with cereals from 3.7 million hectares in 2023 to an expected 2.5 million hectares in 2024, as per the Moroccan Central Bank.
This year, cereal production is predicted to plummet to 25 million quintals, half of 2023's 55.1 million, pushing the country towards increased imports, according to the same source.
"The difference in quality between our field and those of other farmers is evident," expounds Wuletaw Tadesse Degu, head of ICARDA's soft wheat improvement program, which boasts six labs and a gene bank in Rabat. The ICARDA facilitates these advancements through gene crossing and transfer from wild wheat and ancient wheat seeds.
The Ethiopian expert emphasizes the potential of these varieties to improve yield with an average Moroccan cereal productivity of one to two tons per hectare in 2023. In Marchouch, it was four tons per hectare with only 200 millimeters of rain - half of the usual amount - due to the use of drought-resistant varieties and optimal agricultural management.
Barley production quadrupled from 1.5 tons to 2 tons per hectare under severe climatic conditions, notes ICARDA's barley improvement specialist, Miguel Sanchez Garcia. This remarkable increase has caught the attention of the global community.
For wheat alone, over 300 promising lines, developed mainly in Morocco via gene crossing and transfer, are sent annually to 90 national variety creation programs worldwide. Over the past decade, more than 70 wheat varieties from ICARDA's research have been registered in several countries.
Last year, Morocco homologated six new wheat and barley varieties, but they have yet to reach farmers due to an inefficient seed multiplication and distribution system, as per ICARDA researchers. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is reportedly addressing these issues, seeking to streamline seed certification and increase private sector involvement for quicker adoption of Moroccan-bred, drought-resistant seeds.
Morocco's Green Generation 2020-2030 agricultural program aims to address this loss, focusing on food self-sufficiency, sustainable agriculture, and increased farmer access to resilient varieties. The program underscores the importance of robust seed systems and farmer training to ensure nationwide adoption of advanced varieties. This effort will undoubtedly contribute to building agricultural systems resilient to climate change, enhancing rural livelihoods, and supporting Morocco's vision for sustainable agricultural production.
By Kaouthar Oudrhiri.
[1] ICARDA Website. (2023). Seeds for the Future: Breeding Climate Resilient Varieties in Morocco
[2] FAO Website. (2023). FAO supports Moroccan farmers in the fight against climate change
[3] INRA Website. (2023). Marchouch Research Station
[4] World Bank Website. (2023). Morocco's Agricultural Sector
[5] ICARDA Website. (2023). Morocco's 2nd Mechanized Straw Conservation Demonstration Field Day
- The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) has been working in the small town of Marchouch, Morocco, since 2013, focusing on scientific research and development of climate-resilient wheat and barley varieties.
- In a country battling the effects of climate change, like Morocco, general news outlets report a decline in cereal production, with 2024's planting land projected to drop to 2.5 million hectares from 2023's 3.7 million, prompting increased food-and-drink imports.
- Environmental-science experts, such as Wuletaw Tadesse Degu from ICARDA, emphasize the significance of these climate-resilient crops in health-and-wellness, particularly in improving yields under challenging climate conditions, as seen in Marchouch's wheat and barley production.
- To promote the application of climate-resilient seeds and increase their availability to farmers, Morocco's Green Generation 2020-2030 agricultural program is focusing on building robust seed systems, establishing sustainable agricultural practices, and providing farmers with access to resilient varieties, aiming to create agricultural systems resilient to climate change and enhance rural livelihoods.
