“I am very impressed by Morocco’s strategy to adapt its model through water highways and urban desalination projects. It is a very holistic strategy that France should learn from”, said the French president at a meeting held by the OCP Group on “Food security: French-Moroccan cooperation prospects for a transition to sustainable agricultural and food systems in Africa.”
Underlining the importance of this vital resource, Macron stressed the need to build regional strategies, calling for federating the efforts of academics and regional organizations.
Macron also tackled the sustainable development of sectors and the initiatives launched by the Kingdom of Morocco through OCP group, believing that it is a fruitful strategy that should be developed in several countries.
He also emphasized the need to set up sectors that are gaining in maturity in each African country, to help create jobs and move away from the informal sector.
Macron stressed the need to set up a more systematic mapping strategy for a smart management of this issue, noting the importance of training and research, alongside an integrated research strategy that can be adapted to the specific specificities of each country.
The French head of State also pointed to the vital need to create an ecosystem through platforms capable of managing complexities, as in the case of the ecosystem created by OCP, believing that these platforms help mobilize financing, especially as the large number of micro-projects that do not encourage major players to invest remains the greatest difficulty.
Regarding soils, he emphasized that Morocco and France share the common conviction of promoting food security, noting that over the past 15 years, a speech of “agricultural and agri-food degrowth” has taken hold in order to honor “our commitments to decarbonize and change our eating habits.”
According to the French head of State, the world needs to produce more with fewer inputs, drawing on research to change models, noting that it is now necessary to integrate new technologies, adapt irrigation models and better understand the nature of soils.
Macron spoke of the Paris Pact for People and Planet (4P), an exemplary North-South partnership aimed at economic development, biodiversity protection and geopolitical stabilization. In his view, this is a common battle by Morocco, France, Africa and Europe.
Turning to the Mediterranean, Macron stressed the need to rethink the Mediterranean agricultural model in order to take up the challenge of food sovereignty, assuring that France wishes to be a long-term partner in this sovereignty, both for Europe and for the African continent.
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