Identification of key context-specific recommendations to inform potential future World Bank support to promote large-scale adoption of CT at national level

Abstract

In Morocco, as all North African countries, climate change is a unique challenge in terms of magnitude, scale, urgency, and complexity of action. In many areas droughts will become more frequent, more intense, and last longer. In others, new patterns of rainfall will cause flooding and soil erosion. Such extreme events may also occur in the same locality or watershed. The country confronts the growing scarcity of water and land, soil fertility depletion which insecure livelihoods for vulnerable farmers. In addition, agricultural and food systems are resource intensive using 80% of available water, 30% of total demand of energy and 40% labor force. Against all these risks, agriculture remains central to the Moroccan economy, providing livelihood, food, fiber and energy to the majority of its population. Though agriculture sector has made spectacular progress mainly during the last decade with the Green Morocco Plan but complex links between food insecurity and environmental, climatic, social, and economic factors are increasingly being manifested. Yet the recently launched Green Generation strategy (GGS) should tackle such remaining challenges among which large management yield and quality gaps, low water and nutrient efficiency, deterioration of soil and environmental quality and climate risks. In these regards, GGS through introduction of ‘greening’ measures and options has recognized that productivity and stability of agricultural systems depends on mainstreaming and upscale sustainable agricultural options and especially conservation agriculture. It is also implementing obligations related to most conventions, protocols, and principles to which it is committed including the 2015 Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.