A New Joint Venture: UM6P and Les Domaines Agricoles Launch « Daumtech »
Recently announced, the creation of a new joint venture between Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and the company « Les Domaines Agricoles » marks a significant milestone in the ongoing collaboration between these two institutions.
This initiative, named « Daumtech, » builds on over four years of Research and Development (R&D) in precision agriculture. Daumtech’s ultimate goal is clear: « To promote the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, balancing economic efficiency and environmental preservation, and to position Morocco as a major regional hub in precision agriculture. » Faissal Sehbaoui, General Director of Daumtech, contacted by the newspaper « L’Opinion », emphasizes that achieving this ambition will rely on the combined efforts of UM6P’s digital expertise and the agronomic expertise provided by Les Domaines Agricoles.
« The first phase of R&D, conducted over several years by both institutions, aimed to develop precision agriculture or Agritech services tailored to the Moroccan context. This approach is based on the understanding that agriculture is a regional science, meaning that the way a crop is developed in Morocco differs from how it would be developed in another country. Precision agriculture follows the same logic, » explains Faissal Sehbaoui. Although the official establishment of the joint venture is recent, the collaboration between UM6P and Les Domaines Agricoles has already produced various mature digital precision agriculture tools and services, tested in the field with farmers. « The creation of Daumtech represents a new phase that will allow us to disseminate and deploy these results to the end user, the farmer, both in Morocco and other countries, while continuing our R&D momentum, » continues the General Director of Daumtech.
Return on Investment
Mastering precision agriculture tools allows for significant savings in water resources and inputs. The challenge now is to ensure sufficient technical proficiency among farmers adopting this new production approach. « It is important to note that, thanks to its farmers, Morocco has positioned itself as a significant exporter of agricultural products internationally, despite the challenging context of recent years, » highlights Faissal Sehbaoui. He adds, « The adoption of precision agriculture tools and the technical advancement of farmers occur when they see that the necessary investment guarantees a return on investment. » Therefore, the work initiated by UM6P and Les Domaines Agricoles has taken place both in R&D laboratories and in the field through demonstration platforms where farmers can directly observe water, energy, and input savings achieved with Agritech tools while optimizing yields.
« The deployment of the solutions developed in recent years by Daumtech will happen very shortly. For example, we are discussing tools that manage nitrogen supply for certain crops, precision irrigation management, and tools to calculate the farmer’s carbon footprint, » announces Faissal Sehbaoui. He adds that the competitiveness of Moroccan solutions stems from their grounding in the local context and their accessibility to farmers. « In parallel, we have launched an R&D program targeting food sovereignty crops, especially cereals, and export-oriented crops with a focus on citrus and red fruits, » continues Sehbaoui. Daumtech’s ambition, however, extends beyond national borders. « For now, we are working to develop and deploy precision agriculture tools suited to the Moroccan context, but we plan to replicate our approach continentally and then in other countries and regions around the globe, » concludes the General Director of Daumtech.
