UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Project of the Governments of ALGERIA, MOROCCO and TUNISIA
PROJECT DOCUMENT
Project number: RAB/98/G31/A/1G/72
Project Title: Participatory Management of Date Palm Plant
Genetic Resources in Oases of the Maghreb
Project short title: Maghreb Date Palm
Estimated start date: February 2000 Five Years
Estimated end date: February 2005
Management arrangement: NGO Execution (IPGRI)
Designated Institutions: Ministries of agriculture in Algeria, Morocco
And Tunisia
Project sites: Algeria: Mzab
Morocco: (Aoufous & Fezouata),
Tunisia: Degache & Ouest Gabès
Beneficiary Countries: Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia
Morocco, Morocco,
Brief description: The project will remove barriers to genetic erosion of date palm in the Maghreb region; namely (1) the replacement threat from national programmes varieties that are multiplying and distributing only a few varieties of trees and (2); market forces that are encouraging a farmers preference to grow only a few high value varieties of date palm to the exclusion of a wide range of other varieties. Together with the number of baseline programmes described, the project will form an integrated ecosystem approach to the management of the oases sites. The project focuses on activities that will serve to broaden the number of date palm varieties that will be grown in-situ by comparison to baseline projections, rather than promote higher yields or an expansion of market demand, which are not incremental activities. Project activities are summarised as follows; (1) in-situ pre-screening to speed up the process of variety selection for multiplication; (2) adapting techniques to multiply a greater range of date palm varieties; (3) develop alternative markets for date palm products creating value for a wide range of phenotypic characteristics and the incentive to grow more varieties in-situ; (4) develop national capacity to negotiate genetic property rights concerning win/win partnerships; and (5) replicate project best practices at other sites.
On behalf of: Signature Date Name/title (please type)
The Government of:
Algeria:
Morocco:
Tunisia:
IPGRI:
UNDP:
List of Acronyms/ Abbreviations
ACSAD Center for Studies of Arid Zones and Drylands in Damascus
ANN l’Angence nationale pour la conservation de la nature
BADR Bank de l’agriculture et de développment rural
CBD Convention on Biological Diversity
CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
CIRAD L’Centre de co-operation internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement France
CNDD Comission nationale de l’environment
CNE Conseil national de l’environment
CNRPG la Comité nationale des ressources phytogénétique
DGE la Direction général de l’environment
FAO Food and Agrciultural Organisation of the United Nations
GDP gross domestic product
GEF Global Environment Facility
GPA Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilisation of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
GTZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Tecnishe Zusammenarbeit
HCED Conseil de le’environment et du développment
IFAD Institute for Food, Agricultural Development
INPV l’Institut nationale de protection des végétaux
IPGRI International Plant Genetic Resource Institute
MAMVA l’Ministère de l’agriculture et de la mise en valeur
NGO Non-governmental Organisation
OMRVA L’Office régional de l’agriculture et de la mise en valeur
OMRVA/ TF L’Office régional de l’agriculture et de la mise en valeur de Tafilalet
OMRVA/ O L’Office régional de l’agriculture et de la mise en valeur de Ouarzazate
PRIF Pre-investment Facility
REMAREB Magrheb Network for Prevention and Control of Bayoud Disease
REMERGE Mediterranean Network of Genetic Resources and Popular Knowledge
SERST le Secretariat d’etat a la recherche scientifique et à la technology
SINGER System-Wide Information Network on Genetic Resources
STAP Scientific and Technical Panel
UNEP United Nations Environment programme
WANANET West Asia and North Africa Collaborative Network on Plant Genetic Resources
A. Context 4
1. Description of subsector 4
2. Host country strategy 6
3. Prior or ongoing assistance 11
4. Institutional framework for subsector 13
B. Project justification 14
1. Problem to be addressed; the present situation 15
2. Expected end of project situation 15
3. Target Beneficiaries 16
4a. Project strategy 16
4b. Implementation arrangements 22
5. Reasons for assistance from UNDP/ executing agency 25
6. Special considerations 32
7. Co-ordination arrangements 32
8. Counterpart support capacity 33
C. Development objectives 37
D. Immediate objectives, outputs, and activities 37
E. Inputs 48
F. Risks 51
G. Prior obligations and prerequisits 51
H. Project review, reporting and evaluation 51
I. Legal Context 52
J. Budget 53
I. Workplan 60
II. Schedule of project reviews, reporting and evaluation 64
III. Training programmes 65
IV. Job descriptions 67
V. Equipment requirements 74
VI. Framework for effective participation of national and international staff 75
VII. Logical framework 79
VIII. Site Descriptions 84
A. Context
1. Description of subsector
Tunisia
Under its Eighth Development Plan, Tunisia set a targeted growth rate of 6 percent, based on strong expansion of manufacturing (8.7 percent) and tourism (22.3 percent). In agriculture the primary objective is to achieve food security through self-sufficiency, with a heavy emphasis on increasing yield by a planned 1.8 percent annually. The Government regards the increase of agricultural production as one of its most important economic objectives to reduce food imports, increase export earnings and halt rural-urban shift. There are plans to restructure the agricultural sector including reorganising the public sector, strengthening the role of the private sector including the adoption of price incentives, and the promotion of private sector investment.
In Tunisia, date production plays an important role in the agricultural sector, in the arid southern region of the country. The Tunisian Government is encouraging new plantations of, and a conversion of traditional oases to, export date varieties. Data show that of the total production of the Tunisian oases, a single (export) variety, the Deglet nour, has risen from 2.3 percent of total production in 1906 to 52 percent of total date production in 1991.
Morocco
Morocco is planning a 6 percent annual growth in its GDP. The Government plans to cut its budget deficit by 3 percent to 1 percent by the year 2000. This will be largely through restructuring the civil service and privatisation of some services currently provided by the public sector. It is the Government’s policy to phase out subsidies for water and electricity and dismantle price controls.
Morocco has a diverse export market. No single sector accounts for more than 13 percent of export earnings. A high priority for the Government is to continue to increase export earnings to meet the budget deficit, which includes external debts equal to 33 percent of exports. Morocco has invested over six billion dollars in the tourist industry with an expected rise in visitor numbers to 4 million from 2.3 million in 1994.
The agricultural sector provides 40 percent of Morocco’s employment and represents between 13 percent and 20 percent of GDP, depending on winter rainfall levels. One third of small landowners live at subsistence level, using traditional cultivation techniques. Low income- levels have been exacerbated by droughts in 1992, 1993 and 1995. Despite attempts by the Government to stem rural depopulation, the drift to urban areas continues. The population living in urban areas rose from 43 percent in 1982 to 51 percent in 1994.
At present, dates do not represent an important part of national agricultural production, primarily because of the impact of bayoud[1]. However, in the oases of southern Morocco, date sales are still the largest proportion of farmers’ income.
Algeria
Algeria faces high levels of external debt, compounded by a drop in oil and gas prices and deteriorating terms of trade. Economic growth of 4.3 percent in 1995-1996 was primarily driven by strong export-led expansion policies. These policies rely heavily on hydrocarbons, which represents around 97 percent of Algeria’s export earnings. As a percentage of export earnings, Algeria’s debt servicing requirements have dropped from above 70 percent in 1992 to less than 40 percent in 1996. Policies have focused on privatisation measures to rationalise and increase the efficiency of resource use.
Agriculture represents 10 percent of Algeria’s GDP. The country imports 70 percent of its food needs. The most important crops for domestic consumption in terms of production are cereals, wheat and barley, however dates are Algeria’s largest source of foreign exchange after hydrocarbons.
Privatisation policies have also had an impact on agriculture. Farmers are increasingly receiving assistance through enhanced credit facilities, debt rescheduling through the Banque de l’agriculture et de développment Rural (CADR) and, more recently, through Caisse mutuelle agricole. Most notably, farmers have been receiving higher prices and greater opportunities to market agricultural products, following liberalisation policies.
2. Host country strategy
Government programmes to combat bayoud
The date palm is affected by a number of diseases including; la cochenille blanche (Palatoria blanchadri); les arciens (Olygonychus sp); la pyrale des dattes (Myelois sp.) and bayoud (Fusarium oxsporum fsp albedinis), the last of which has the greatest impact in the Maghreb. The disease has spread progressively eastwards from Morocco to Algeria over the last century killing over two million trees. The eastern limit is now at Ghardaïa in Algeria. An indication of the economic impact of bayoud is partly reflected in the large difference of Morocco’s foreign exchange earnings from dates compared to those of Tunisia and Algeria. Figures from the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) for foreign exchange earnings indicates that Morocco makes around USD100, 000 annually compared to between USD 5 to 8 million annually from Algerian and Tunisian date production. The impact of the disease has been even more devastating to small oases farmers who depend largely on date production for their income.
All three countries have recognized the damage being done by bayoud. In addition, the United Nations Development Programme has funded a two million-dollar two-phased project to build capacity in the region to address the problem. The current situation following these activities is summarized below.
i. Surveys, Inventories and Characterization of Date Palm
All three countries have surveyed their oases for the presence of bayoud[2] and date palm genetic diversity. Morphological surveys and genetic marking of date palm varieties has provided a scientific basis for measuring the impacts of disease and other root causes of genetic erosion. It has enabled Morocco especially to select date palm varieties for breeding programmes and disease resistance testing. Algeria has focused on monitoring the rate of spread of bayoud, and this forms a central part of their strategy for containing the spread of the disease to other oases[3]. Le Centre de recherches phoenicoles at Degache in Tunisia has been especially concerned with genetic erosion caused by varietal switch from traditional varieties of date palm to export varieties and has been monitoring the effects of this root cause of genetic erosion.
ii. Ex-situ facilities
Morocco
L’Institut national de la recherche agronomique has three stations at Marrakech, Zagora and Errichidia concerned with the date palm cultivation. All three stations have ex-situ collections; however, those at Zagora and Errichidia are the largest, with over 1000 clones. Genetic material has been collected from in-situ surveys and selection programmes of Moroccan oases starting in 1974. They form security collections and provide genetic material for on-going ex-situ programmes for selecting and breeding disease resistant, high quality date palm varieties. Of the thirty two varieties submitted for multiplication tests, four varieties have been successfully multiplied. The station at Marrakech has the capacity for the rapid multiplication of around 200,000 plants annually. Two main constraints in multiplying a greater number of date palm varieties face the programmes: (1) selecting resistant high quality date palm varieties can take up to five years or more; and 2) techniques for propagation are limited to a few varieties.
L’Office régional de l’agriculture et de la mise en valeur, Morocco’s agricultural extension agency distributes the multiplied date palm to farmers at a nominal cost. The numbers multiplied annually are insufficient to meet demand from oases farmers affected by disease. Over the longer term, in-situ diversity of the date palm will be reduced, as farmers replace lower quality date palm varieties with limited varieties from ex-situ programmes.
The argument that ex-situ multiplication programmes are a cause of in-situ genetic erosion to the date palm is set out below and applies to both Algerian and Moroccan multiplication programmes.
Surveys indicate that there are over 800 recorded varieties of date palm in Algeria and 223 recorded varieties in Morocco[4]. A large number of these varieties are susceptible to the disease bayoud. Indeed surveys indicate that over 2 million trees have been killed by bayoud over the last century[5]. While the figures of varieties susceptible has not been determined exactly it is more than five varieties. Thus if it is considered that the baseline scenario (or the case without GEF assistance) is as follows:
Four varieties from Moroccan government multiplication programmes are being distributed to farmers (around 200,000 young trees annually), to combat the effect of disease;
and one variety is being distributed by Algerian government multiplication and distributed (programmes have a capacity to multiply 100,000 annually), to combat the effect of bayoud;
and it is considered that far more than five varieties are known to be mortally susceptible to bayoud, out of the total 1023 recorded varieties in the two countries;
then the trend of both programmes will be to replace all the varieties of date palm killed by bayoud with just five varieties of multiplied date palm. This suggests that as the multiplication programmes continue to replace date palm killed by bayoud, there will be a gradual erosion of the in-situ genetic base of the date palm in Morocco and Algeria.
Consider also that multiplication programmes will in addition be supplying farmers with date palm planting stocks to replace trees that have died of old age and other causes. This then further increases the scope of varietal replacement of the programmes beyond varieties susceptible to bayoud.
L’Office régional de l’agriculture et de la mise en valeur agricole at Errachidia is also carrying out research on optimal spacing for date palm and irrigation practices as a means to reduce the spread of bayoud and to maximize production from the agro-ecosystem; as well as harvesting and storage methods to increase the value of date production. Encouraging farmers to adopt new practices has been proving a constraint to this endeavor.