Marchouch, Morocco | May 15, 2025 - Under a sunny Moroccan sky, the ICARDA-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) Marchouch Stationbecame the setting for a day of science in motion, literally.
As chariots rolled between experimental plots, scientists, partners, and dignitaries boarded the open-air tour of what could only be described as the most agronomically ambitious theme park in the drylands.
Timed with the visit of ICARDA’s Board of Trustees for the 76th Board Meeting, the Field Day offered a curated crash course in how the science of sustainable agriculture is meeting the climate challenge head-on in CWANA. The agenda was a full-throttle journey through the pillars of climate-resilient agriculture, from no-till wheat plots to methane-reducing forage systems, served with a side of couscous, a traditional Moroccan dish.
“At our last meeting, the Board was pleased to formally designate Morocco as one of ICARDA’s Principal research stations. This decision reflects the country’s long-standing support, its scientific excellence, and its strategic role in advancing dryland agriculture.” – Dr. Tareq Alzabet, ICARDA Board Chair
"At ICARDA, we believe that when science is grounded in partnerships and driven by purpose, it can truly transform lives. Marchouch is a living example that when we work together, we can fulfil ICARDA's mission to reduce poverty and enhance food, water, and nutritional security and environmental health in the face of accelerating global crises. We owe this much to the people whom we serve." – Mr. Aly Abousabaa, ICARDA Director General and CWANA Regional Director, CGIAR
“We’re charting a new course for the ICARDA-INRA Moroccan Collaborative Grants Program (MGCP), with a sharper focus on integrated desert farming, carbon farming, and a renewed commitment to stronger research governance, because, often, governance is the biggest barrier to getting technologies into farmers’ hands. Capacity building remains central to this vision, and through ICARDA and CGIAR, INRA can access a global network of expertise to gain critical insights.” – Pr. Lamiae Ghaouti, INRA Director
Soil, Water, and the New Science of Survival
Drylands don’t ask for much, just a miracle or two every planting season. ICARDA’s researchers, however, prefer to offer science. At the first stop, ICARDA researchers showcased their arsenal of sustainable farming solutions aimed at maximizing production under ever-scarcer water and degrading soils. With 80% of CWANA cropland still under cereal monoculture, ICARDA’s Soil, Water, and Agronomy team made the case for crop diversification, conservation agriculture, and ultra-efficient irrigation systems.“This is not theory. This is practice, scaled and contextualized,” stated Dr. Vinay Nangia. “We’re not just improving yields, we’re restoring ecosystems.”
From Micronutrients to Macro Impacts
Next came a look into the genome. ICARDA’s robust legume and durum wheat breeding programs, already delivering high-protein, pest-resistant, and machine-harvestable varieties across the CWANA region, were on full display. These aren’t boutique crops for niche markets. They are staples, redesigned for a world in flux.
Behind the scenes, ICARDA scientists are tackling major crop threats like diseases and pests, especially those that affect wheat, barley, and food legumes. Using field data and speed breeding, they fast-track the selection of resistant crop lines. The team also monitors new wheat rusts and legume viruses across the region to stay ahead of outbreaks. They're also testing natural plant compounds, volatile organic compounds, that could help manage pests and might even be used in future breeding.
“There’s nutritional science in your pasta,” joked Dr. Filippo Bassi, referring to ICARDA’s biofortified durum lines, high-protein varieties tested over 25 hectares in Marchouch alone, targeting 8.5 million hectares globally. “It’s not just pasta, though, it’s food security, income generation, and heritage, bundled into a golden grain,” he added.
The Genebank That Feeds the Future
In a rare moment of stillness, attendees stood before rows of ancient grains, part of ICARDA’s 152,000-accession-strong genebank. There was something reverential about this stop, as Dr. Athanasios Tsivelikas explained how these seeds, collected from the Fertile Crescent and beyond, are reshaping tomorrow’s crops.
“Think of it as time travel,” said Dr. Anna Backhaus, pointing to a wheat trial designed to harness forgotten strengths from long-gone climates. “We’re looking backwards to go forwards.” Salinity tolerance in barley and root rot resistance in wheat aren’t miracles; they’re mined from millennia of evolutionary resilience.
Wheat, Barley, and the Physiology of Climate Adaptation
Dr. Wuletaw Tadesse Degu and Dr. Miguel Sanchez Garcia introduced ICARDA’s wheat and barley programs, which are among the largest of the CGIAR system, and demonstrated how data, AI, and field trials converge to produce varieties that can survive drought.
From Morocco to Ethiopia, the programs test and deploy genotypes bred not just for yield but also for resilience, nutrition, and disease resistance.
“It’s not science fiction, it’s selection with precision,” said Dr. Andrea Visioni, explaining how convolutional neural networks (super-powered sets of “eyes” that can scan thousands of plant images instantly) and Random Forest models predict yield, biomass, and protein content from multispectral imagery and agricultural data. In the time it takes to grow one traditional cycle, ICARDA can screen for drought tolerance, disease resistance, and grain quality simultaneously.
Feeding Animals, Not the Climate
The integration of crop-livestock systems is crucial in CWANA, and one highlight of the day was seeing the “Forager” innovation: an off-grid, closed, hydroponic system that turns 15 litres of water into 200 kg of fresh livestock feed every week.
It’s more than feed, though, it’s climate action. Visitors were ushered into the in vivo facility where low-methane forages undergo rigorous testing for their ability to cut enteric emissions without compromising animal productivity.
“Enteric methane is an important issue in the climate conversation,” said Dr. Barbara Ann Rischkowsky. “We’re not just cutting emissions; we’re rethinking livestock diets that better serve the Global South.”
Honoring the Legacy of Pioneers
A quiet moment of reflection marked the visit to a Memorial Wall, where we honored ICARDA scientists who are no longer with us but whose work laid the foundation for today’s innovations. Their legacy lives on in every field trial and resilient variety, reminding us that progress begins with the dedication of those who came before.
Just One Piece of the Puzzle
As participants gathered under a large Berber tent over a hearty farm-to-fork lunch, a couscous meal prepared from scratch by women who are part of a local women’s cooperative using ICARDA’s durum wheat variety “Nachit.”
And, while no single day can summarize the Herculean task of adapting agriculture to climate uncertainty, ICARDA’s caravan of science-on-wheels made one thing clear: whether it's the genetic rescue of ancient grains, the redesign of irrigation systems, or the quiet revolution of low-methane feed, in the drylands, innovation must be immediate, integrated, and bold.
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