Casablanca – Morocco is preparing to implement a major program worth approximately $807.3 million aimed at reshaping its agricultural and food systems, with a particular focus on climate resilience, food safety, agricultural productivity and rural development. The initiative, scheduled to run from 2025 to 2029, brings together funding from the Moroccan government and international partners as the country faces continued pressure from drought, water scarcity and changing agricultural conditions. 

The program is being developed within the framework of Morocco’s Generation Green 2020–2030 strategy and is intended to address several structural challenges affecting agricultural production. A central objective is to make rain-fed farming more resilient to climate risks while improving the quality and safety of food reaching consumers. 

Agriculture remains an important part of Morocco’s economy, accounting for about 13% of gross domestic product and providing substantial employment in rural areas. At the same time, production remains exposed to rainfall patterns, making prolonged drought a significant factor in agricultural performance. Repeated dry periods have affected cereal production and increased pressure on domestic food supplies, contributing to greater reliance on imports for certain products. 

The new program seeks to respond to these challenges through a combination of agricultural reforms, investment and institutional support. 

The financing structure includes $255 million from the World Bank, representing around 31.5% of the total program. Of this amount, approximately $248 million will be provided through a results-based loan. A further $2 million will support the project through technical assistance linked to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, while $5 million will come from the Livable Planet Fund to support the transition toward conservation agriculture in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region. 

The Moroccan government will provide approximately $552.3 million, or 68.5% of the overall financing. 

The funding model places considerable emphasis on results. Rather than focusing solely on the amount of money invested, the program will track specific outcomes and link part of the financing to the achievement of agreed performance targets. 

One of the main areas of intervention will be rain-fed agriculture, particularly cereal production. The program will encourage a transition toward conservation agriculture, a group of practices designed to protect soil, improve the efficient use of water and reduce the vulnerability of agricultural land to environmental pressures. 

Agricultural insurance is another key component. Reforming the insurance system is expected to improve farmers’ capacity to manage losses associated with drought and other climate-related events. This is particularly relevant for small and medium-sized farms, which can have limited financial capacity to absorb significant production losses. 

The second major area of the program concerns food quality, food safety and nutritional security. Authorities intend to strengthen systems for producing and distributing safe food while improving awareness of nutrition-related issues. The initiative also incorporates the “One Health” approach, which considers the links between human health, animal health and environmental conditions. 

Food systems will also be examined from the perspective of greater circularity, with the broader objective of reducing waste and making better use of available resources. 

The program includes 41 results indicators covering its different areas of activity. Five of these are directly linked to the release of financing. They relate to the transition toward conservation agriculture, agricultural insurance reform, safe and high-quality food production, food safety during distribution and awareness of nutritional security. 

Progress against these indicators will be subject to verification procedures. Morocco’s General Inspectorate of Agriculture and General Inspectorate of Territorial Administration are expected to conduct verification missions to determine whether the required results have been achieved. 

Managing a program of this size across multiple regions and institutions will require additional administrative and technical capacity. For this reason, Morocco’s Agriculture Department is preparing to recruit specialized technical assistance for the Program Management Unit. 

The unit will serve as the central structure responsible for coordinating implementation, monitoring progress and evaluating results. The technical assistance is expected to strengthen its capabilities in project management, financial and accounting procedures, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, environmental and social safeguards, communications and institutional coordination. 

A dedicated monitoring and evaluation system will also be developed and updated throughout the program. The system will cover the various components and activities, allowing authorities and financing partners to track implementation and identify areas requiring adjustment. 

The governance structure involves several levels of government and public institutions. A steering committee chaired by the secretary-general of the Agriculture Ministry will oversee the program, with participation from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Interior and the ministry’s main departments. The World Bank and FAO will participate as observers. 

The Program Management Unit will coordinate with a range of institutions, including the General Directorate of Territorial Collectivities, the National Office of Agricultural Advisory Services, the National Office for Food Safety, the National Institute for Agricultural Research and regional agricultural directorates. 

The broad institutional structure reflects the program’s objectives, which extend beyond agricultural production alone. Its implementation will require cooperation among government agencies, regional authorities, research institutions, professional organizations and farmers. 

Small-scale producers are expected to be an important part of the initiative. Limited access to financing, machinery, technology and technical assistance can make it difficult for smaller farms to adopt new agricultural practices. Improving access to these resources could determine how widely conservation agriculture and other modern techniques are adopted. 

Technology and digital tools are also expected to play a role in improving agricultural efficiency. Better data, monitoring systems and modern production methods could help farmers respond more effectively to climate risks while improving the management of natural resources. 

Water availability remains one of the most important challenges. Morocco has experienced repeated drought conditions in recent years, highlighting the vulnerability of traditional rain-dependent production. The program’s emphasis on conservation agriculture and climate-risk management is therefore linked to a broader effort to adapt agricultural practices to increasingly constrained water resources. 

The initiative could also have implications for rural employment. Improving agricultural productivity and strengthening value chains could create opportunities for young people in rural areas, particularly through activities connected to agricultural services, technology, processing and distribution. 

However, the scale of the program also creates implementation challenges. Coordinating multiple institutions, financing partners and regions will require consistent monitoring and clear responsibilities. Ensuring that smaller producers benefit from the program may also require targeted measures, particularly where access to financing and technology remains limited. 

The planned technical assistance is intended to address some of these management challenges by strengthening the capacity of the central Program Management Unit and improving coordination between national and regional stakeholders. 

Morocco’s $807.3 million program therefore combines several policy objectives under a single framework: adapting agriculture to climate change, improving food safety, supporting farmers, strengthening agricultural insurance and modernizing production systems. 

Its implementation through 2029 will provide a test of how effectively Morocco can translate these objectives into measurable results. The focus on rain-fed agriculture, conservation practices, food safety and institutional capacity reflects the country’s effort to respond to both immediate agricultural pressures and longer-term changes affecting its food systems. 

For Morocco, the central challenge will be to increase agricultural resilience while maintaining production and employment in rural areas. The program’s results-based approach, combined with government financing and international support, is designed to provide a framework for pursuing those objectives while allowing progress to be measured throughout the implementation period.