The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Moroccan industrial group OCP have established a partnership to overcome the critical obstacles holding back Africa’s agricultural potential, informs a press release published last week on the OCP website, which speaks of a historic initiative for the progress of agriculture on the continent. The document states that, during a visit to Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, USAID Administrator Samantha Power signed a collaboration agreement to pursue two sustainable and innovative initiatives designed to improve agricultural efficiency and productivity across the continent. The first initiative concerns the « Space to Place » project, which will gather precise local data on soils and climate, which will serve as the basis for a decision-support tool designed to guide farmers towards optimal use of plant nutrition solutions. The second is the « Rock Phosphate Amendment » project, which will assess the impact of phosphate rock application and innovative nutritional formulas based on it on crop yields and soil fertility. This project will develop a decision support system for phosphate rock to help farmers identify the soils and crops that will benefit most from this approach. The agreement extends over at least four years, and includes the involvement of other stakeholders and partners to drive forward these ground-breaking initiatives and encourage the adoption of these new tools by farmers across the continent. « OCP Group is an important partner in the major global food crisis we are facing. The agreement will leverage geospatial technology to provide farmers in the field with recommendations on how to use fertilizers more efficiently. The data collected will also serve as the basis for predictions and concrete solutions to improve yields », added Samantha Power. For his part, OCP Chairman and CEO Mostafa Terrab said that his Group « is delighted to strengthen its partnership with USAID, working closely together on these cutting-edge projects to help unleash the potential of African farmers to feed not just Africa, but the world, in a way that aims to improve soil health, the environment and the climate ». The OCP Group helps feed the world’s growing population by providing essential elements for soil fertility and plant growth, while the US agency is in charge of administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. #OMA #OrganisationMarocAfrikaCulturesetDéveloppement #NajibKettani #Economy #USAID #OCPMaroc #Agriculture #Africa
