Morocco secures renewed “Adaptation Fund” accreditation to tackle climate challenges

The Agricultural Development Agency has announced the renewal of its  “Adaptation Fund” accreditation, an initiative aimed at helping developing countries build resilience and adapt to climate change. 

According to the Agency, this renewal underscores the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Forests’ commitment to promoting agricultural sustainability in Morocco while addressing its pressing climate challenges. Additionally, it emphasizes the Kingdom’s efficient project management ability and adherence to international environmental and social safeguards.

The Adaptation Fund, established under the Kyoto Protocol as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, has committed over $1.2 billion to climate adaptation and resilience projects. The fund has benefited over 45 million people, through 176 localized initiatives, particularly in vulnerable communities across developing countries.

In Morocco, the Agency’s first “Adaptation Fund” accreditation in 2012 secured a $9.97 million grant for the country’s oasis regions. This led to the launch of the Climate Change Adaptation Project in the Oasis Zones (PACC-ZO) in 2015. This project has since benefited 40,000 people, half of whom are women and youth, in the Guir and Maider basins of the Drâa-Tafilalet region.

A key component of PACC-ZO was the revival and enhancement of the ancient “khettara” water system, a 2,000-year-old underground canal network developed by the indigenous Amazigh people. Though some parts of the system were still functional, the project helped rebuild, expand, and upgrade it to provide irrigation and water to the oasis zones, home to more than 1.7 million people.

The project also strengthened water sector resilience, diversified income sources, improved living conditions for vulnerable populations, and enhanced locals’ capacity to adapt to climate change.

As a result, “the project has become a national model and a benchmark for Adaptation Fund-supported initiatives”. The Agency also noted that the renewed accreditation will help Morocco secure additional resources for innovative climate initiatives, fostering collaboration with institutional partners and key agricultural stakeholders.

The statement further emphasizes the accreditation’s crucial timing, as Morocco grapples with water shortage, resource scarcity, and the negative impacts of six consecutive years of drought. 

This renewed support will allow the agricultural sector to scale up its efforts to address these urgent challenges, particularly by helping small farmers adapt to climate change—those who contribute the least to global carbon emissions but suffer the most from its effects.