The World Bank’s Board of Directors has approved a $4 million grant from the Livable Planet Fund to Morocco, supplementing the $250 million initially approved in December 2024 for the Transforming Agri-food Systems Program. The program is designed to strengthen Morocco’s agri-food system against climate change while enhancing food safety and quality. The additional financing focuses on addressing demand-side constraints faced by small- and medium-scale farmers, accelerating the adoption of conservation agriculture in Morocco’s rainfed cereal sector. Approximately 1,200 farmers across 20,000 hectares will benefit, with support delivered through digital e-vouchers that provide mechanization services, climate-resilient seeds, and access to markets.
The project also emphasizes financial inclusion, helping cereal and legume farmers—including women and youth—pool their harvests to reach more remunerative markets. Enhanced project management, monitoring, and evaluation will track adoption, yield improvements, farmer incomes, and climate mitigation outcomes such as reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. World Bank–executed technical assistance will support the design and implementation of the e-voucher system and conduct impact evaluations to measure results.
Morocco’s agri-food sector is crucial for the national economy and rural livelihoods, and consecutive droughts have highlighted the vulnerability of rainfed cereal production. The additional financing supports the transition to climate-resilient practices by expanding conservation agriculture, improving soil and water management, stabilizing yields, and reducing exposure to climate shocks. The program leverages the One World Bank Group approach through collaboration between the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and contributes to the AgriConnect initiative by creating employment in cereal and legume value chains and enhancing food and nutrition security.
Ahmadou Moustapha Ndiaye, World Bank Division Director for the Maghreb and Malta, highlighted that the additional financing reinforces climate-smart practices and pilots digitally enabled support for smallholders, fostering green jobs in rural areas and strengthening national food security. Combined with measures to improve market access and build capacity among public and private stakeholders, the program aims to help farmers produce and market higher-quality, safer food while increasing their incomes, ensuring continuity and coherence with the initial financing.
