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| Office Régional de Mise en Valeur Agricole | |
|---|---|
| Name | Office Régional de Mise en Valeur Agricole |
| Native name | Office Régional de Mise en Valeur Agricole |
| Type | Public agency |
| Headquarters | Rabat |
| Formed | 20th century |
| Jurisdiction | Morocco |
Office Régional de Mise en Valeur Agricole is a regional agricultural development agency operating within Morocco, focused on irrigation, land reclamation, rural infrastructure, and agrarian planning. The agency interacts with ministries, provincial administrations, international development banks, and research institutions to coordinate projects across multiple basins and prefectures. It engages with actors such as the African Development Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization, World Bank, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, and bilateral partners to implement integrated water and land management initiatives.
The agency emerged amid 20th century initiatives linked to postcolonial agrarian reform, irrigation schemes associated with the Office National de l'Eau Potable, and regional planning influenced by the Ministry of Agriculture. Early precedents include colonial-era hydraulic projects tied to the French Protectorate and later reforms under Moroccan administrations connected to the Plan Maroc Vert and the Green Morocco Plan. It has adapted through periods shaped by the Casablanca Conference environment, Cold War development paradigms, and Bretton Woods conditionalities involving the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Key historical intersections involve technical cooperation with the FAO, bilateral aid from the Agence Française de Développement, and policy frameworks set by the Ministry of Interior and regional councils.
The mandate combines land reclamation, irrigation development, watershed management, rural road construction, and agronomic extension. Core functions align with strategic frameworks promulgated alongside national plans such as Plan Maroc Vert and Green Morocco Plan, and often coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture, fisheries offices, and regional councils like the Conseil Régional. Operational duties involve technical studies, feasibility assessments, environmental impact evaluations in line with standards used by the World Bank, AFDB, and UNEP, and contracting with engineering firms such as Suez, Veolia, and local bureaux d'études. The office also liaises with educational institutions like Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II, Université Mohammed V, and INRA for research and capacity building.
The organization typically features a board linked to regional governors (Walis) and prefects, a directorate for engineering, a directorate for agriculture and extension, and a finance and contracting unit that interfaces with donors like the European Investment Bank and bilateral agencies including USAID and JICA. Administrative ties extend to the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Equipment, and regional chambers of agriculture such as Chambre d'Agriculture. Project implementation often uses private contractors, consulting firms, and partnerships with NGOs like CARE, Oxfam, and national associations such as Fédération Interprofessionnelle Marocaine des Produits Agricoles.
Projects range from dam construction and micro-irrigation networks to soil conservation, olive tree planting, and citrus grove modernization. Notable program types include watershed rehabilitation projects similar to those supported by the African Development Bank and pilot irrigation schemes modeled after projects financed by the World Bank and the European Union. The office has implemented initiatives in collaboration with entities such as ONHYM, ONEE, and the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN) where integrated water-energy-agriculture projects mirror global programs involving the United Nations Development Programme and the Global Environment Facility.
Funding sources combine national budget allocations from the Ministry of Finance, concessional loans and grants from the World Bank, African Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and bilateral partners including France, Spain, Germany, Japan, and the United States. Partnerships extend to multilateral organizations like FAO, UNDP, UNEP, and regional bodies such as the Arab Maghreb Union and the African Union. Private sector engagement includes infrastructure firms, agribusiness corporations, and financial institutions like Banque Populaire and Attijariwafa Bank for rural credit initiatives.
Impact assessments point to increased irrigated surface area, higher yields for cereals, olives, and citrus, and improved rural access via road works, aligning with targets of the Plan Maroc Vert and Sustainable Development Goals as promoted by the United Nations. Criticisms focus on environmental effects similar to those debated in projects financed by the World Bank and EIB—salinization, groundwater depletion, and biodiversity loss noted by conservationists linked to IUCN and WWF analyses. Social critiques echo concerns raised in studies by Human Rights Watch and Oxfam about land tenure, displacement, and benefit distribution between smallholders and large agribusiness firms such as those in the Moroccan Charter Agricole debates.
Regional offices correspond to Morocco’s administrative regions and work across provinces such as Marrakech-Safi, Souss-Massa, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, and Oriental. Coverage maps often reference river basins like the Oum Er-Rbia, Sebou, Tensift, and Moulouya and engage local prefectures and communes, municipal councils, and institutions such as Wilaya offices. Collaboration includes provincial directorates of agriculture, local NGOs, research centers like Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, and international partners deploying regional technical assistance missions from organizations like FAO and the African Development Bank.
Category:Agricultural organisations based in Morocco Category:Water management in Morocco Category:Development agencies