Morocco’s fertilizer behemoth OCP Group and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) inked a deal to address obstacles impeding Africa’s agricultural growth, at the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic on Thursday, said OCP’s release published Thursday.
The OCP stated that the agreement aims to pursue two long-term and creative projects to increase agricultural efficiency and productivity throughout the continent.
The four-year agreement intends to engage additional stakeholders and partners to further these ground-breaking projects and to urge farmers across the continent to embrace technological innovations.
OCP, through its subsidiary OCP Africa, will contribute 30 million dollars to promote effective fertilizer usage in Sub-Saharan Africa, supplementing USAID’s 40-million-dollar commitment to develop the Space to Place Project, which is one of the programs under the guise of the newly announced OCP-USAID agreement.
The Space to Place Project will collect precise localized soil and climatic data “which will provide the basis for a ‘Decision Support Tool’ to guide farmers on the optimal use of fertilizers.”
“These fertilizers will be customized to precisely meet the nutrient requirements of their land and crops, to simultaneously improve soil health and boost productivity sustainably,” OCP stated.
The second project, the Rock Phosphate Amendment study, will assess the effects of phosphate rock application and new fertilizer formulae on crop yields and soil fertility.
Alluding to the agreement, OCP Chairperson and CEO Mostafa Terrab commented, “[We are] collaborating closely [with USAID] on these cutting-edge projects to help unleash the potential of African farmers to feed not only Africa but the world, in ways that aim to enhance soil health, the environment and the climate.
For her part, Power stated “OCP Group is an important partner as we grapple with a very significant global food crisis. The agreement will use geospatial technology to provide farmers on the ground with recommendations on how to more efficiently use fertilizers. It harnesses data to provide real-world predictions and solutions to improve yields.”
Power was in Morocco on a working visit from May 19-22 to boost ties between Morocco and the U.S., and to highlight USAID’s collaboration with Moroccan grassroots organizations to advance locally led development, a factor crucial to achieving long-term and sustainable results.
USAID is an independent agency of the United States government that was created in 1961. It is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $50 billion, USAID is one of the largest official aid agencies in the world and accounts for more than half of all U.S. foreign assistance—the highest in the world.