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Post-AGM Tours
Following the AGM, additional field visits are being organized
by INRA.
Payment information and sign up forms are to be faxed to Morocco
at: (+212) 44 30 18 31
Prices quoted are Moroccan Dirhams.
Sign
up form and price information - PDF format
Tour No 1: Marrakech-Beni
Mellal. Night at Beni Mellal . Two
days
Summary:
The tour will provide insight on research related to irrigated
agriculture, water resources and irrigation management and
optimization of water use carried out by INRA (National Institut of
Agronomic research) and ORMVAT (Regional Office for Agricultural
Development of Tadla Irrigated Perimeter). Participants will have
an opportunity to learn more about the integrated strategies
implemented for managing water resources available across Oum
Rabiia basin. Participants will visit Afourer Research Station
which is famous worldwide for being birth site of famous Nadorcott
mandarin and for its breeding program for new breeds of sheep.
Research and development partnership will be approached trough
collaboration with ORMVAT, Regional agency for Agricultural
Development, the Tadla livestock Association for animal production
improvement, and trough private farmers for technology transfer.
This tour will provide opportunity to drive through the beautiful
western side of the Middle Atlas Mountains, visit the marvellous
cascades of Ouzoud, and the historical and panoramic sites
surrounding Beni Mellal city which is well known for its harmonious
mixture of Arabic and Berber cultures.
Program:
Friday 9 December
2005
| 07:30 |
Departure from Marrakech |
| 09:30-10:30 |
Visit Ouzoud cascades |
| 11:00 |
Stop at Bin El Widane dam, the first dam to be built in
Morocco |
| 12:00-12:30 |
Stop for a panoramic View of Tadla irrigated perimeter:
Presentation of the Regional Office for Agricultural Development of
Tadla (ORMVAT) irrigated Perimeter and the project for recycling
water for electricity production. |
|
13:00-14:30
|
Lunch |
| 14:30-16:00 |
Visit of the National Institut Of Agronomic Research
(INRA)Tadla Regional Centre: Presentations of research programs and
activities, visit citrus collection and a citrus drip irrigation
trial. |
| 16:30-17:30 |
Visit Tadla Livestock Association |
| 18:00 |
Arrival and night at Beni Mellal
|
Saturday 10 December 2005
|
08:00
|
Departure from the Hotel
|
| 08:30-09:30 |
Presentation of Oum Rabiaa Water Basin Agency activities |
| 10:30-12:30 |
Visit ORMVAT irrigated perimeter |
| 13:00-14:30 |
Lunch |
| 15:00 |
Departure to Casablanca |
| 18:00 |
Arrival and night at Casablanca. |
Tour N°2 :
Marrakech-Essaouira. Two days
Summary:
The tour will provide a unique opportunity to visit Essaouira
city and learn about its agriculture and its NGOs active in rural
development. Essaouira is one of North Africa's most beautiful
cities and offers a mixture of Portuguese, French, and Berber
architecture. Its handcraft is rich and diversified. Essaouira
craftsmen produce delicate marquetry in lemon, cedar and
sandalwood. Participants will enjoy a cruise to Mogador island, a
specific site for seagull reproduction.
Essaouira has an exceptional microclimate favourable for
cereals, fruit trees, vegetables, goats and forest productions.
Participants will visit internationally known cooperatives for
honey, argan oil, medicinal and aromatic plants, and a private farm
producing olive oil and wine.
Participants will also have a golden opportunity to visit the
beautiful Ourika Valley and a bio aromatic production and
transformation unit. Panoramic views and traditional food served in
exceptional site at this valley make it one of the preferred
destinations.
Friday 9 December 200
5
| 07:00 |
Departure from Marrakech |
| 10:00-12:30 |
Visit the Provincial Agricultural Directorate of Essaouira
(DPA) |
|
Program
|
- Presentation of agricultural development activities
- Presentation of UNESCO world reserve of biosphere for Argan
tree protection
- Overview of National and international programs for argan tree
protection and valorization
- Visit Ajeddigue Women Cooperative for the production of Argan
oil (30 Km south of Essaouira)
|
| 13:00-14:30 |
Lunch |
| 15:00-18:00 |
Visit old city and a cruise to Mogador Island (specific place
of the seagull reproduction) |
| 18:30 |
Arrival at Hotel and Night at Essaouira |
Saturday 10 December 2005
| 08:00 |
Departure from Essaouira |
| 08:30-9:30 |
Visit LE VAL D'ARGAN Farm for Wine and Olive oil
production |
| 10:00 |
Departure to Ourika Valley |
| 12:30-15:00 |
Lunch and visit Ourika Valley |
| 15:00-16:00 |
Visit a bio aromatic field production and transformation unit
(Nectarome) |
| 16:30 |
Departure to Marrakech |
| 18:00 |
Arrival and night at Marrakech |
Tour N°3 :
Marrakech-Settat-Rabat-El Menzeh.
Two
days
Summary:
The tour will
provide insight of Moroccan experience in dryland agriculture.
Participants will learn about extensive research conducted over 25
years in the Settat dryland research Centre with the collaboration
of Midamerica International Agricultural Consortium of five
universities. Conservation agriculture, cereals and food legume
improvement for drought and pest resistance, socio economic
studies, natural resource management, crop management are priority
areas where available information will be presented. Participants
will visit the national gene bank built to house 60 000
accessions.
Participants will drive trough Casablanca, a business capital of
increasing importance, and visit Hassan II mosque, a gem of
religious architecture of incomparable beauty, subtly mixing
Moroccan tradition with state of the art technology, and with a
prayer room large enough to hold 25 000 worshippers and an
esplanade for further 80000.
Participants will spend the night at Rabat, the Kingdom's
capital, set in a rich, amber coloured landscape, elegantly
combining an ancient history with modern culture. They will stop at
the INRA regional Centre of Rabat and at the Agronomic and
Veterinary Sciences Institute Hassan II.
Participants will also visit the El Menzeh research Station
located 50 km north of Rabat. This Station is famous for its 40
years old research program on citrus, including world citrus
collections of over 600 varieties and cultivars. Most of the 72 000
ha of citrus orchards in Morocco are planted from plant material
produced in El Menzeh. A summary of major research achievements
will be presented.
Program:
F riday
9 December 2005
| 07:00 |
Departure from Marrakech |
| 09:30-10:30 |
Visit Cooperative Khemisset Chaouia (INRA+NGO FERT+DPA) |
| 10:30-12:30 |
Visit INRA Regional Centre of Settat
- General presentation;
- Visit Hessian fly laboratory, Ag mechanization laboratory, Gene
bank and biotechnology, and animal production;
- Poster presentation of Partnership, Agronomy and agro
climatology, Diversification, Innovation adoption and impact,
gender issues.
|
| 12:30-14:00 |
Lunch |
| 14:00-15:30 |
Visit CAM Sidi El Aydi, a private company for Grain storage and
marketing |
| 16:30-17:30 |
Guided visit to Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca |
| 18:30 |
Arrival and night at Rabat |
Saturday December 10, 2005
| 8:00 |
Departure from Hotel |
| 8:30-9:30 |
Visit Biotechnology Laboratories, INRA regional Centre of Rabat
.
General presentation
- Visit biotechnology laboratories
- Poster presentation on land suitability mapping, agro
climatology, Crop improvement, Food technology, animal and forage
production
|
| 10:00-11:30 |
Visit Hassan II Agronomic and veterinary Institute |
| 11:45 |
Departure to El Menzeh |
| 13:00-14:30 |
Lunch |
| 14:30-16:00 |
Visit INRA El Menzeh Citrus research station
- General presentation
- Visit citrus collections and field trials |
| 16:30 |
Departure to Casablanca |
| 18:30 |
Arrival and night at Casablanca |
Tour No 4:
Marrakech-Ouarzazate-Zagora-Merzouga-Errachidia-Fes.
Summary:
The tour will provide an insight
on research achievements in the oasian systems including date palm
improvement and agronomy practices as well as animal production.
Participants will enjoy a splendid combination of panoramic views
of High Atlas Mountains, verdant oases valleys (Draa, Ziz and
Dades), lofty Ksours, sumptuous Kasbah, and sand dunes. They will
stop along the oases valleys to witness: agro-biodiversity, date
palm Bayoud disease; water and soil salinity problems; water
harvesting and distribution structures, sand invasion sites and
techniques to combat desertification . Specific visits will cover
Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou (UNESCO word heritage) , Ouarzazate
cinematography center, Zagora Research Station (Date palm genetic
resources collections, Bayoud trials), Ternata oasis, Tazarin dam,
Desertification control structures, Merzouga touristic site (
Panoramic view of sunrise and sand dunes), INRA Errachidia research
station (Prolific sheep "D'man" breed), and ORMVAT
(Regional Organization for Agricultural development).
For those who can stay one more day, they will have the golden
opportunity to visit the imperial city of Fes, famous for its old
city ( medina) and original handcraft. The participants will visit
a private modern tissue culture laboratory for date palm
multiplication using palm stock developed by INRA. They will have
the opportunity to learn about INRA research programs in the region
and about the "Ecole National d'Agriculture" (ENA)
graduate study and research programs.
Program:
Friday
9 December 2005
| 07:30 |
Departure from Marrakech |
| 08:30-09:30 |
Stop at Toufliht hunting ground and presentation of the fauna
and flora in the region |
| 10:30-11:00 |
Stop at Taddart and coffee break |
| 11:30 |
Stop at Col Tichka (Panoramic view on high Atlas
Mountains) |
| 13:00-14:30 |
Visit of Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou and lunch |
| 15:00-16:00 |
Visit Ouarzazate cinematography centre |
| 16:30 |
Departure to Zagora |
| 19:00 |
Arrival and night at Zagora |
Saturday 10 December 2005
| 08:15 |
Departure from Hotel |
| 08:30-10:30 |
Visit INRA Zagora Experimental Station (Date palm genetic
resources collection, Bayoud trials, etc…) |
| 11:00-11:30 |
Visit Zaouyet Al Fath pilote farm/INRA varieties of date
palm |
| 12:00-12:30 |
Panoramic view of Ternata oasis with comments on oasian
ecosystem and Draa valley civilisation and dynasties |
| 13:00-14:30 |
Lunch |
| 14:30 |
Departure from Zagora to Merzouga
- Stop 1: Visit of desertification control structures
- Stop 2: Tazarine Dam |
| 08:30 |
Arrival and Night at Merzouga |
Sunday 11 December 2005
:
| 5:30-6:30 |
Panoramic view of sunrise and sand dunes |
| 7:00-8:00 |
Breakfast |
| 08:00 |
Departure to Errachidia |
| 09:00-10:00 |
Visit INRA Errachidia station |
| 10:30-12:30 |
Visit perimeter of ORMVA Tafilalet Errachidia and m eet NG Os
in the Tafilalet |
| 13:00-14:30 |
Lunch |
| 15:00 |
Group I: Stay and Night at Errachidia
Group II: Departure to Meknes, night at Meknes |
Monday 12 December 2005
Group I: Errachidia-Casablanca
| 6:00 |
Flight to Casablanca |
| 7:00 |
Arrival at Casablanca |
Group II: Fes- Casablanca
| 08:00 |
Departure from Hotel |
| 08:30-9:30 |
Visit Ecole Nationale d'Agriculture de Meknes |
| 10:00-11:00 |
Visit Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory/ Domaine Agricole Al
Bassatin |
| 12:00-17:00 |
Visit city of Fes and lunch |
| 17:00 |
Departure to Casablanca |
| 19:30 |
Arrival and night at Casablanca |
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