Promising agricultural partnership: Brazil and Morocco unite for food security

Friday 21 February 2025 - 15:10

By: Dakir Madiha

Promising agricultural partnership: Brazil and Morocco unite for food security

The collaboration between Brazil and Morocco in soil management, fertilizers, and genetic variability—particularly for wheat—holds significant promise for advancing food security, according to Silvia Massruha, president of Embrapa, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation.

“The potential of this cooperation is immense,” Massruha stated in an interview with MAP, ahead of her visit to Morocco. A critical focus of this partnership lies in the “tropicalization” of wheat, with Embrapa developing varieties tailored to the conditions of the Cerrado, a wooded savanna that covers 23% of Brazil’s territory.

These wheat varieties are highly drought-tolerant, adapting to the water stress characterizing this biome. Massruha highlighted how the genetic variability of these germplasms could be leveraged in traditional (non-GMO) breeding programs in both Brazil and Morocco.

“For Morocco, Brazil’s expertise in genetic material exchange offers promising prospects for food security and market development, reducing dependency on wheat imports,” she added.

As sustainable soil management and efficient fertilizer use become increasingly critical for the future of agriculture, the Brazilian official emphasized the importance of knowledge-sharing between the two nations to foster innovative technologies.

Key areas of collaboration include moisture retention through no-till farming, integrating agriculture with livestock systems, and exploring alternative fertilizers, such as organo-mineral fertilizers and soil remineralizers.

To enhance agricultural resilience against drought stress, Massruha stressed the importance of practices like no-till farming, crop rotation, and the use of slow-release fertilizers, particularly nitrogen-based ones, given Morocco’s climate conditions. She also suggested introducing native plant species as vegetative cover to improve soil and water management.

However, she noted that these technologies require testing and monitoring phases to assess their adaptability in both Morocco and Brazil.

In conclusion, Embrapa’s president affirmed that this partnership will pave the way for joint initiatives focused on innovation, training, technological adaptation, and sustainability. Such efforts, she said, will contribute to bolstering food security in Brazil, Morocco, and across Africa.