14 PERSPECTIVES ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS | VOL 42 | 2024 Extending agtech to small farms At present, digital technologies are used mostly on larger industrial farms, with smallholders tending to stick to traditional methods of agriculture (European Training Foundation, 2021). As the size of a farm decreases, initial obstacles to agtech become steeper, but this is not to say overcoming them is impossible. There have been initiatives, namely under the Green Morocco Plan, to aid small farms in gaining access to the resources and technologies previously available only to large farms. One of the objectives of the Green Morocco Plan was to generate cooperation among farmers, focusing on smallholders. To achieve this goal, in 2018, the government began 63 aggregation projects intended to create ties among numerous farms, grouping them together to facilitate exchange of skills, knowledge, and resources, helping to lower barriers to adopting digital technologies. The projects involved 55,000 farmers, 80% of whom worked at small farms. Small farms, however, typically do not have the resources and time to participate in these projects, many of which focus on sufficient yield for exports and attracting large investments (European Training Foundation, 2021). Additionally, 20B Moroccan dirham was invested in 55 “social projects,” with the purpose of benefiting 855,000 people, specifically vulnerable smallholding farmers. These projects are focused on disadvantaged areas and work on conserving natural resources. One major project category was cooperative aggregation (Agency for Agricultural Development, 2015). Various agricultural cooperatives as well as institutions and agencies are pushing to make agtech accessible to small farmers in Morocco. The National Office of Agricultural Consulting specifically is working directly with farmers to disseminate the technologies that the National Institute of Agricultural Research is investigating (European Training Foundation, 2021). These efforts are a way of investing in the technological development of Morocco’s agricultural sector broadly, specifically in support of smallholders. Paths to implementation There already are some financial investments and policy changes paving the way to digital transition. However, to react at the same onset rate as climate change impacts, stronger action must be taken. Morocco is investing funds in digital technology in part to address the impact of climate change on agriculture. The government recently approved a framework agreement allocating $991M to mitigate the stress that decreased rainfall and global economic issues place on the agriculture sector. A major objective of this allocation is to assist farmers struggling with these recent challenges while reducing the costs of agricultural production (Sahnouni, 2023). The Agency for Agricultural Development also has access to the Adaptation Fund and Green Climate Funds to support efforts to combat climate change (Ministry of Agriculture…, n.d.-b). Digital technology falls under these allocations. The Generation Green plan is also investing in digital technology (discussed previously). As part of Generation Green, R&D investments for agricultural technology will be multiplied up to 2 times (Ministry of Agriculture…, n.d.-d). Generation Green is laying a framework of mechanisms to connect more than two million Moroccan farmers to digital service platforms and is hiring 5000 private agricultural advisors who can support farmers around the country (Ministry of Agriculture…, n.d.-c). With these specific government actions, digital technologies will be accessible to farmers and more widespread in Morocco. Educational institutions in Morocco also play a large role in bringing digital technologies to farmers, often in form of agricultural consulting. The National Office of Agricultural Consulting facilitates assisting farmers with innovative farming strategies, often using new technologies (Agency for Agricultural Development, 2015). Educational institutions themselves play a significant role in R&D of technologies and their applications and dissemination. Morocco’s government is also playing a role in coordinating global partners to further digitalize the agricultural sector (Jabir & Falih, 2020). The World Bank, for example, has invested in the Morocco Digital and Climate Smart Agriculture Program, which promotes the use of digital and climate smart technologies throughout the supply chain of Morocco’s agricultural sector. The total cost of the program is $1B (World Bank, 2019). Additionally, the World Bank provided two loans to Morocco, $205M in 2011 and $203M in 2013, to support the Green Morocco Plan and financed efforts through the National Irrigation Water Saving Program (World Bank, 2017). In 2021, Morocco received $1.63M from the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development and has since seen a similar yearly contribution (Trading Economics, 2024a). One additional nation-specific effort has been the German-Moroccan Excellence Center for Agriculture, established in 2013 as a place where farmers and extension staff can access information on modern agricultural technologies (Qamar, 2013). International financing agencies like
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