A six member agricultural technical team from the Kingdom of Morocco is currently on island to advance discussions for the implementation of a project for “Soil Fertility Mapping for Agricultural Development in Dominica and Other Eastern Caribbean Islands”.
The technical team consists of Khalid El Moujaddidi – Deputy Head of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI); Abdennebi Benaouisse – Head of the Department of Bilateral Cooperation of the AMCI; Dr Rachid Mrabet and Dr Rachid Moussadek, soil experts from the Morrocan National Institute for Agronomic Research; Hassina Moukhariq and Ahmed Jelloul of the OCP Foundation.
The mission represents the reinforcement of scientific and technical partnerships between Morocco and Dominica in the agricultural sector through the integrated management of irrigation, water resources and fertilizers for increase productivity and quality of agricultural products.
The project scheduled to be launched on Monday, February 9, 2015 at the fort Young Hotel, is specifically aimed to design and develop a Geo-referenced soil information and expert system: GIS-FertiDominica; fertilizer recommendations for major crops, the establishment of a national fertilizer programme; and to develop the human and technical capacity of farmers and extension agents in terms of soil information and fertility monitoring and management.
The project will develop the national technical capacity for maximizing farmer’s profits and enhancing farming efficiency while maintaining good environmental stewardship and re-enforcing the extension system in devising soil fertility and fertilization guidelines for major crops.
Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Honourable Johnson Drigo welcomes the implementation of the project for the future development of agriculture in Dominica.
“This project is timely as we celebrate the international “Year of the Soil” consistent with our new thrust for developing and energizing the agriculture sector in Dominica. This is a positive step in the right direction for us in the Ministry and for our own farmers,” Minister Drigo stated.
While in Dominica, the Moroccan delegation will also hold discussions with agriculture officials from, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The people need to stop these politicians from selling Dominica to other countries.
These people want something. Their country so dry. What Moroccans doing all they way here in Dominica. Take a step back and look at it – what is your gut feeling – something not right. No wonder they dumped their hotel and other ‘gifts’ as a strategic sweetener.
Dominican people protect your country and its natural resources from other countries and Dominica’s politicians !
Talk about a waste of money and misguided efforts from this gov’t. What are they going to do with the results? What are the objectives of this study? We should be moving towards a more natural and organic farming model to build up our soil and ecosystem after the damage caused by the many years of pesticides, weedicides and chemical fertilizers use in the production of Bananas.
Morocco ——- Moroccan Kingdom ——– Occupying Nation ——– SW Africa ——- Sahawari People —— exploited, ruled, oppressed, repressed ———
Polisario Front —-fighting for decades against colonial rule of Morocco.
The Polisario Front have for Years established good relations with and even set up an office in Cuba. Cuba has been of great assistance in the Sahawari People’s struggles against Morocco’s colonial rule.
Here lies the hypocrisy. New colonialism/’slavery is the game.
A people without the knowledge of its history is like a tree without Roots.
Nobody in the Caribbean, the region have those expertises? CARDI, other orgs. a plenty, UN orgs.. Where all those graduates in agriculture within the Caribbean? How do we build their capacities in e.g agricultural development?
The Nature Isle needs a unique, specific approach People in the region and Caribbean people in the diaspora have also the knowledge in mapping soil…
Another waste of time! I do not know about the other islands involved, nevertheless, I do not believe that there is anything to know about fertile soil that a baby just born in Dominica knows nothing about. There was a time when people used composite, material i.e. cow dung to fertilized. Our problem is that the agricultural are all under cultivation for almost a hundred years, even the Bible teaches after cultivation for seven years rest it for seven years. That has not happened in Dominica, that is the problem, all there nutrients in the soil is depleted.
“Many of the more agricultural tribes farm the steep slopes by building small terraced fields along the mountainsides. The rock walls retain the soil, which is carefully fertilized each year with manure and composted plant material. Consequently, the soils are quite rich which, in the most favourable areas, allows two grain crops to be grown each year: the first crop – barley – is harvested by early July and the field then…
You mean we doh have Dominicans who can do that? So many highly qualified Dominica soil experts we have in and out of Dominica.
Maybe we should list them all here.
These people are slave owners,i have been around them and once your not in the rich class,your nothing to them,but this is what the fool you all elected offer the people of Dominica.
look money wasting going on this place. just have to laugh. even if its free we dont have to waste the people money like that.
I don’t see why Morocco should be interfering with our Nature Island soil !!!
We should be helping Morocco fertilize their soil !!
SOMETHING IS GOING WRONG !!
This is a warning !!!
I do not think they are interfering; the only way they could come into the country, and play scientist is because Skerrit and Drigo invited them okay, I do not see a country who plants “two main crops per year: Barley, and Wheat, Barley harvest in July, and Wheat harvest in October, can be such experts on fertile land! The first rule pertaining to Agriculture, is that the land on which we farm should never be under constant cultivation. It is scientific fact one should only cultivate that land for seven years, and rest it for seven, hence, the land can recover the nutrients it lost over seven years, after that it can be cultivated again.
Any agriculturist should know that. Athie Marten is the only Dominican I know who has a degree in Agronomy, perhaps Skerrit and Drigo should pay him to educate them the money paid to the Barbadian Dominica prime minister might serve Athie a useful purpose: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahha!
Free the people of Western Sahara. Don’t enslave our people and then you come to Dominica at the request of a corrupt regime to pretend that you respect us