Direct seeding: The Béni Mellal-Khénifra region aims to reach 80,000 ha by 2030

Faced with an increasingly worrying climate situation, the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region, which has opted for the direct seeding technique as an innovative solution to combat water stress, aims to reach an area of 80,000 ha by 2030. This resilient technique has established itself in the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region over the last ten years as an appropriate solution to meet the increased demand for irrigation water at a time when rainfall is becoming increasingly scarce, impacting the yields of major cereal crops.

Faced with these problems, direct seeding has emerged as a new way of exploiting natural resources insofar as it allows for the best possible fight against water stress and to meet the food needs of the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region.

By promoting better water retention in the soil, this technique prevents soil erosion, preserves its structure, and reduces the need for water and labour, in addition to its qualities allowing for better moisture conservation by reducing water evaporation.

It is practised using a special seed drill that allows seeds to be sown without prior ploughing. This operation reduces the costs of soil preparation, seeds, fertilisers, and labour, and therefore results in significant energy savings.

Compared to the yields obtained by traditional ploughing methods, this technique guarantees better production even during campaigns with low rainfall.

Béni Mellal-Khénifra: a region gradually moving towards direct seeding

At the level of the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region, this technique is practised largely in the provinces of Khouribga and Khénifra. The 2023-2024 agricultural season saw the implementation of 12,400 ha of direct seeding in these two provinces.

During this season, more or less significant and promising yields of up to 17 quintals/ha in rain-fed (Bour) areas were achieved despite difficult climatic conditions.

The direct seeding technique reduces seed requirements. This practice requires a quantity of only 80 kg of cereals per hectare, unlike the traditional ploughing method which requires 180 kg.

In addition, direct seeding offers higher yields, unlike the ploughing method, which, although it consumes more water resources, often leads to lower yields. Direct seeding yields are 10 to 20% higher than traditional ploughing.

Finally, the plant cover left by direct seeding contributes to reducing soil erosion, which is particularly important in areas prone to soil degradation. It is estimated that erosion can be reduced by up to 50% compared to conventional methods.

And to promote this technology, the Regional Directorate of Agriculture of Béni Mellal-Khénifra is going all out. In collaboration with its key partners, namely the Regional Chamber of Agriculture and the OCP's "Al Moutmir" programme, great efforts are being made to further develop this technique in the region with the goal of reaching 80,000 ha of direct seeding by 2030.

This is being done through awareness campaigns, training days, and field visits, and more particularly by increasing the fleet of tractors adapted for direct seeding and making them available to agricultural cooperatives.

Direct seeding: figures that reassure in Béni Mellal-Khénifra

Given the advantages of this technique and following the increase in demand from farmers, during the 2024-2025 agricultural season, the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region plans to expand the geographical scope of the direct seeding programme with an ambitious programme of more than 35,000 ha, including 68% in the province of Khouribga, 13% in the province of Khénifra, 9% in the province of Fquih Ben Salah, 8% in the province of Béni Mellal, and 2% in the province of Azilal.

In a statement to MAP, the president of the Al Baraka Association for Direct Seeding and Conservation Agriculture in Ouled Boughadi (Khouribga), Hicham Daoui, stressed that the direct seeding technique includes many advantages that allow for better water retention in the soil and consequently better water savings, recalling that this practice positively transforms daily working methods and presents several major benefits.

Direct seeding consists of planting seeds directly into the soil without having to plough it, using a special seed drill, Mr. Daoui said, indicating that the seed drill opens a small groove in the soil, places the seeds at the right depth, and then closes the groove, which allows the soil to save moisture and prevent erosion while reducing the need for water and labour.

Direct seeding is also an asset for biodiversity, in the sense that it offers a more favourable environment for the life of insects and plants, he said.