The University Mohamed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) will collaborate with ICBA in the implementation of project activities. Consultants from IAV will be involved in the project as local consultants and will facilitate wider adoption among farmers in the target communities by providing technical cropping packages, value chain analysis, bottlenecks assessment and solutions, capacity building through Farmer Field Schools, as well as by establishing linkages between private sector buyers and farmers participating in the project. Several students from the Department of Agronomy, Food science and Socio-economic will be involved in this project. This will strengthen the local capacity building and ensure the continuity of the project.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery, Rural Development, Waters and Forestry, represented by the Secretary General, will provide matching funds to scale up the developed business model in the rest of the region.
The National Office for Agricultural Advisory Services (ONCA), the extension arm of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery, Rural Development, Waters and Forests, will assist in the organization of all dissemination and training activities related to the quinoa value chain. ONCA was recently established to develop a multidimensional and multi-stakeholder advisory system that empowers farmers, shifting from mass extension to a demand-driven advisory system.
The Provincial Directorate of Agriculture (DPA), the provincial representation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery, Rural Development, Waters and Forests, will engage local farmers in project activities and facilitate the subsidy process related to farm irrigation and other equipment.
The Governor of the Province of Rhamna will support the project by linking it with the National Human Development Initiative (INDH), which aims to enhance access to social and economic infrastructure and services for poor and vulnerable groups. Through this initiative, farmers will be able to access credit and other financial products to launch cooperatives for quinoa processing and valorization.
Chabab M’khalif Bouchane Association, a local NGO, will be involved in the selection of project sites, development of quinoa-based food products and marketing strategies. The association was created within the EU-funded SWUP-MED project in 2009 with the aim to grow and valorize quinoa seeds and processed products in the Rhamna province. The association has actually 75 members, who collectively cultivate an area of 50 ha.
The AMENDY FOOD Company, a private company whose manager (a woman) was involved in the SWUP-MED project, will develop quinoa-based food products for the Moroccan market.
Office National de la Sécurité Sanitaires des Aliments (ONSSA), the office will help the project in registering quinoa varieties in the national crop catalogue.
Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II (IAV HASSAN II), the institute will provide consultants working on the socio-economic and food side of the project.
Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) will be signed with each of the partners as appropriate, defining respective roles and responsibilities and resource allocation.