Announcement of the Atlas Region in Morocco to Benefit from World Bank Loan on January 11, 1982

· ~ FOR IMN)f DIA TE- ~ELEASE :• World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, E>.C. 20433, U.S.A .. • Telephone: (202) 477-1234 BANK NEWS RELEASE NO. 82/37 Contact: Melhem Salman Jariua ry 11 , l982 · (202) 477-5328 THE ATLAS REGION IN MOROCCO TO BENEFIT FROM WORLD BANK LOAN The improvement of livestock production and forestry development in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco wi 11 be assisted by a Joan of $29 mi 11 ion, the World Bank announced today. ln recent years, the·traditiona1 range and forage system has been destroyed by a combination of pressures on the natural resources of the region.·. Di~inhhTng rangeland has Jed to both overgrazing and a deterioration of forage and forest resources. The World Bank loan will support an integrated agricultural development project, combining interrelated actions in the fo~est, on the range, and on cropping land. The development project, which wi11 cost a total of $~2.2 million, will lead to increased production of meat, milk, fodder, cereals, and wood. Rural incomes of herders and farmers will rise and employment will be g~nerated. The Atlas region. suffers from overgrazlng of both rangeland and forest areas. Means of controlling livestock and protecting forests have already been tested in the region. The tribal peoples have indicated a willingness to enter into agreements with the regional authorities to testrict their grazing to desig- nated areas. The agreements include the investments and measures needed to im-· prove the productivity of the herds and range resources. The objective is to make the most of the dominant pattern of collective land ownership practised by the tribes and to maintain their main activity, livestock. The project covers about 600,000 hectares in the central area of the Middle Atlas region, straddl in9: the two provinces of lfrane and Khenifra. Popu- lation is about 100,000, of whom 80% depend on agriculture for a livelihood. Employment as well as wood for fuel and construction is provided by the oak and cedar forests which cover more than a third of the area, and dominate the higher altitudes. Rangeland collectively owned by tribal units spreads over most of the intermediate zone. The land at lower levels is devoted mainly to the privately- owned cropping land; the maio crops are cereals, vegetables, and some forage. The "r-igorous· climate and 1 imited water re.~Q~rces constrain the potentiaT for agricuftural° d~velopment. Each tribal unit normally possesses a territory consisting of privately- owned land and collective grazing land, and holds rights to graze adjacent forest land. Collective land is managed by the jemaa, a traditional tribal • counci1. Among farmers, the smaller farmer depends proportionally more on live- stock. Next to their own, rightholders often keep sheep for absentee urban owners, as there is no limitation on the number of sheep they are allowed to let graze.· ..• I  - 2 - Earlier attempts to save the area's productive resources were only partJy ~uccessful because they failed to address the interactions betwee~ the forest, the forest range, the rangeland, and the cropping land. However, these attempts have been essential in providing technical and social information needed for the design of the pre~ent project. • Forest management will be improved through provisions of necessary in- frastructure for fire control and for demarcation, planting of trees and forest shrubs, felling and thinning of trees to promote growth, and pest control. Range management will be established in a11 grazi~g areas. On the forest range, con- trolling the stocking rates wi11 prevent further degradation of rarige and -forest lands caused by overgrazing. Deferred and rotational patterns of ~razin~ -~fll'be introduced. On the ranges, in agreement with the livestock owners, livestock- control fencing will be installed over at least 50,000 hectares; about 15,000 ha will be fertilized or reseeded. Water supplies will be improved. To help farmers, extension project staff will introduce silage conservation methods and, on a trial basis, straw will be treated with caustic soda to improve Jts nutritional value. The production of fodder on land now left fallow will be encouraged. Animal health will be improved, through the construction and staffing of nine animal health centers, 18 additional dips for pest control, and 11 breeding stations. A sheep selection station will be rehabilitated, and about 2,000 Nurica and Timahite goats will be acquired for breeding. Two milk collection stations will be built. A study will be carried out to consider the need for constructing a goat cheese factory. Credit for the investments will be provided by the Caisse National de Credit Agricole. The number of extension agents will be increased from 15, at present, to 42. A program of applied research in support of the project activi- ties will be carried out by the lnstitut National de la Recherche Agronomique. • This pioneering project should succeed b~cause the met.hods to be used have a~ready been tested in the Atlas region. One threat to success is the possibi1 ity of drought in part of the project area. Where possible, drought- resistant shrubs have been selected for the project. With the greater availa- bility of forage, tribal units will be wi11 ing to accept limits on stocking rates and rotational patterns of grazing which are necessary for achieving project objectives. The World Bank loan of $29 million to Morocco is for 17 years, including four years of grace, with interest at 11.6% a year. NOTE: Money figures are expressed in U.S. dollar equivalents. •  (j ~I F.ORMNO. t1.21 : n (5:-'78) I.\ >·r~\• T E C HN C A L DAT A c, PROJECT: Middle Atlas - Central Area - Agricultural Development D COUNTRY: Morocco TOTAL COST: $92 .2 mi 11 ion BANK FI NANC I NG : $29 million, repayable over 17 years including four years of grace, at 11.6% interest a year. OTHE~ FINANCING: Government of Morocco, $41.9 million National 9~licultura1 Cred}t Bank, $14.8 million Beneficiarles, $6.S mi 11 ion IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION: Ministry ot Agriculture Rabat, Morocco PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Forestry development plans over 124,000 ha, including pre- paring of management plans for 36,000 ha; providing infra- structure, mostly roads; planting trees and forage shrubs; felling and thinning; pest management. Livestock development, consisting of increasing forage production ~nd im- proving forage conservation; acquiring selected animals; introducing range management; providing infrastructure reseeding and fertilizing forage; constructing animal health and breeding facilities; and providing credit. Cropping development, comprising reorgani- zation and a reinforcement of extensior services; problem-specific research, providing credit; irrigation .improvement of some':2,000 ha, and construction of access roads. PROCU.REMENT: Contracts for road construction exceeding $2 million, for the water supply system in Timahdite, for spraying against cater- pillars, c;r well as contracts for the purchase of equipment and vehicles exceeding $150,000, will be awarded after international competitive bidding following Bank guide- 1 ines, for a total estimated at about $14.3 mi 11 ion. Equipment and vehicle contracts wi 11 be b~lked to the extent practicable. Contracts for vehicles and equipment for less than $150,000 each, estimated at less than $1.5 million in the aggtegate, will follow local competitive bidding. S1nal l project works estimated at less than $100,000 each for more than $4 million in the aggregate will be carried~put by force account; selected animals and equipment for milk collection centers and forest road maintenance workshops ($0.4 ~illion in the aggregate) will be acquired after limited international tendering. Con- tracts for-smaller works, estimated at $29 mil'lion in total, will follow LCB. CONSULTANTS: Both scientific and practical specialists wi11 be required about 2.5 man-years of short-term consultancies and about six years of long-term technical assistance~ • ECOHOMIC RATE 'OF RETURN: EST 1}1ATED COMP LET U>N DATE: 24% 1987 - 0 -