The Director of the National Institute for Agricultural Research, Lamia Ghaouti, held talks on Wednesday in Rabat with Finland’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Sari Essayah, focusing on ways to enhance cooperation in research, development, and innovation for a sustainable and resilient agriculture sector.

In a statement, the institute explained that this meeting, which is part of the growing momentum of rapprochement between the two countries—particularly at the economic and scientific levels—aims to promote the exchange of expertise between Morocco and Finland in strategic areas of research and development. These include integrated water resources management, as well as the conservation and valorization of biodiversity.

The same source added that the discussions also covered other research areas of mutual interest, including agroforestry, the digitalization and modernization of the agricultural sector in Morocco, as well as new approaches to scaling up innovations and transferring them to farmers.

In this context, both parties agreed to lay the foundations for a structured and sustainable bilateral cooperation aimed at developing joint agricultural research projects, strengthening research capacities, and promoting training and knowledge exchange. They also emphasized the importance of participatory approaches to achieve sustainable and resilient agriculture.

The interest expressed by the Finnish delegation in cooperation on the conservation of genetic resources—both in situ and ex situ—was highlighted during a visit to the Rabat Botanical Experimental Garden. This work is carried out by the National Institute for Agricultural Research through its research programs, its gene bank (with over 76,000 samples), and the living collections available at its various experimental stations.

Established in 1914, this garden is the institute’s first experimental station and hosts the first ex situ living collection in Morocco, comprising more than 600 varieties of ornamental plants and fruit trees of diverse origins, including local, tropical, subtropical, and desert species.

This meeting, held as part of the official visit of the Finnish official to Morocco from March 24 to 27, was attended by Finland’s Ambassador to Morocco, Marianna Sall, a high-level Finnish delegation, as well as the management and scientific teams of the National Institute for Agricultural Research.

Source : Almouhitalfilahi.com

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