New project awarded to AFCI in Morocco: German – Moroccan Excellence Centre for Agriculture

AFC Consultants International (lead company) in cooperation with AFCI Consultants Maroc and ADT Projekt GmbH was awarded the service contract for the development of the German-Moroccan Excellence Centre for Agriculture, a Private Public Partnership Project, financed under the Economic Cooperation Programme of the German Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV). Project Partners are the German Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture and German manufactures of agricultural machinery, seeds and chemicals (AGCO, CLAAS, LEMKEN, GRIMME, RAUCH, BAYER, EUROPLANT, PETKUS). Other private and public partners are expected to join the project in the course of implementation. Start/completion: 10/2012 – 12/2015                  Total budget: 1.065.000,-- EURO Objective of the contract is to develop a Centre where agricultural producers, farmers and their organisations, extension staff and other partners in the agricultural value chain can obtain information on modern agricultural technology and cultivation methods. The Centre will offer training courses, workshops and seminars on a variety of relevant subjects, to enable participants to apply the new knowledge on their farms and thus, contribute to the development of a modern Moroccan agriculture. The project will have two main groups of beneficiaries: Owners, managers, agricultural professionals and providers of machinery (private contractors) with potential for development and modernization objectives Multipliers: executives from extension and training organizations (associations, cooperatives), consultants, trainers, technicians Activities will focus on wheat, potato and fodder production in the first two years, but will be extended to cover beef production in 2014. Technical Assistance will include: Development of a concept for the accreditation of the centre as a training institution Development of a comprehensive training programme, including a “training of trainers” component Development of curricula and training modules for: Agricultural mechanisation Cereal production Potato production Fodder production Milk production Beef production Private machinery contracting Farm economics and investment planning Implementation and Evaluation of the training programme Development of training materials, technical brochures and manuals Organisation of yearly field days, press conferences, study tours and participation at agricultural events and fairs Marketing of the Centre and elaboration of PR materials Contact Person: ute.jacob [at] afci.de or tesa.weiss [at] afci.de