Morocco and France strengthen agricultural digitalization cooperation at SIA Paris 2025

Monday 24 February 2025 - 10:30

Paris, France - During Morocco's participation as the guest country at the International Agricultural Show (SIA) in Paris (February 22 to March 2), a partnership agreement was signed to promote innovation and knowledge transfer in the digital agriculture sector between Morocco and France. The agreement was signed in the presence of Ahmed El Bouari, Morocco's Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests.

The partnership, formalized between the "Ferme Digitale" and the Digital Pole of the Ministry of Agriculture, represents a pivotal step in strengthening Franco-Moroccan cooperation in AgriTech. The primary objective is to facilitate the exchange of agricultural technology experiences, transfer of skills, and know-how in this sector.

This initiative seeks to foster dialogue and generate joint projects by mobilizing all stakeholders to boost innovation and expand commercial development prospects in both markets. Both parties are committed to increasing the visibility and integration of startups and technology providers in both Morocco and France.

Loubna El Mansouri, Director of the Digital Pole at the Ministry of Agriculture, noted that agriculture is crucial for feeding populations but faces challenges due to water scarcity and resource limitations. The goal is to enhance production with fewer resources, exploring technologies like artificial intelligence, IoT, and big data to transform agriculture.

From the French side, Justine Lipuma, Vice-President of Ferme Digitale, emphasized that the agreement aims to share experiences and collaboratively develop two projects: one for the International Agricultural Show in Meknès, Morocco (SIAM), and another for the Ferme Digitale annual event in France.

The signing ceremony was preceded by a roundtable discussion involving startups, institutional players, interprofessionals, researchers, and experts from both public and private sectors, discussing "AgriDigital: Building Bridges Between France and Morocco."

Minister El Bouari highlighted Morocco's full commitment to this initiative through the Green Generation 2020-2030 Strategy, which places digitalization at the forefront of its priorities. The goal is to optimize resource use, improve product traceability, and facilitate market access through digital tools. Morocco also aims to improve the governance of its resources (water, soil, energy), especially in the context of producing more with fewer resources.

The discussions focused on strategic areas where Morocco and France can collaborate to further develop AgriDigital and promote a more resilient agricultural sector. Proposals include sharing and transferring technologies to enhance agricultural practices and resource management, developing AgriTech training by linking academic institutions in both countries, improving access to funding for AgriTech startups and research, and promoting North-South and South-South cooperation in AgriDigital.

Participants in the roundtable included Rachid Benali, President of the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development (COMADER), and Loubna El Mansouri, Director of the Digital Pole. On the French side, representatives from the French Ministry of Finance, French Tech, BPI France, and key actors in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, such as La Ferme Digitale and AgriTech startup founders, also took part.