Morocco

Among the many programs of UM6P, the Center of Excellence in Soils and Fertilizer Research in Africa (CESFRA), is an entity of the AgroBioScience Program of UM6P, which dedicates to teach and conduct advanced research in soil and fertilizer sciences and whose research outputs should boost the productivity of African agriculture through the design of fertilizers tailored to the continent’s soils.

CESFRA possesses a Soil Spectroscopy Laboratory (SSL), which has been recently designated by FAO GLOSOLAN to be a regional champion laboratory for the NENA region. SSL is equipped well with latest equipment such as Tensor II FTIR, Alpha Spectrometer, pXRF, etc.; and engaged in building electronic data systems to streamline data collection and enforce high data quality, exploring the use of artificial intelligence and new sensing technologies to reduce the costs of measuring many soil properties and testing and validating a digital soil mapping model to predicatethe soil suitability for various land unitization types. CESFRA has developed a profound working relationship with esteemed institutions worldwide. For example, CESFRA is conducting a research on new soil and plant tool development for fertilizer recommendation with the Rothamsted Research Ltd., the Cranefield University, UK, and ICRAF. Moreover, we are also involved in research on digital farming with the Institute for Data,Systems and Society of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. Finally, CESFRA maintains a working relationship with Kellogg Soil Lab, USDA, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

The group is interested in collaborations through research , mainly focusing on digital soil processing including application of infrared spectroscopy to predict many soil properties, building web-based system for soil fertility evaluation, preparing digital map for soil health monitoring and land uses, etc. running training courses, hosting visiting researchers, and joint projects, etc.