Moment d’évaluation et de prospective

Moment of evaluation and foresight

The agricultural sector represents one of the most important pillars of the national economy. This is the conviction of the director of the National Higher School of Agricultural Sciences, Tariq Hartani, who spoke to Algerian Radio. He explained that the agricultural sector is a breeding ground for young talents and field talents, working tirelessly for national sovereignty and food security of the country. He believes that the National Conference on the modernization of agriculture, which is currently being held in Algiers and brings together national and international experts, constitutes a moment of evaluation and foresight. He emphasized that the digital transformation of the modern agricultural sector is a gradual process that starts with information and ends with productivity.

He continued by saying: “Modernization is not just about technology, but about a way of thinking and learning from the reality of the farmer on the ground, integrating the latest global advances in the areas of smart and environmental agriculture, and managing to increase productivity and ensure sustainable production.” For Tariq Hartani, “the management of water resources has become one of the major challenges for Algerian agriculture, particularly given the drought and fluctuations in precipitation observed in North Africa and the Middle East over the last fifty years.” He stressed the importance of the new national agricultural strategy, which must focus on identifying the strengths of agricultural sectors, such as the production of dates and certain vegetables with promising export prospects. He called for supporting sectors still developing in order to reduce their dependence on foreign countries, stressing that Algeria is a continent with varied climates.

The director of the National School of Agricultural Sciences also affirmed that scientific research is essential to meet all agricultural challenges. This requires the ability to predict production seasons before harvests and improve the use of machines and mechanization over large areas. He then discussed the importance of mechanization as the basis of modernization. He noted that advanced industrialized countries have developed agriculture based on electronics and robotics. “Algeria has made real efforts to localize mechanization and adapt it to the specificities of the regions. The farmer must be listened to and involved in decision-making,” he recalled, emphasizing that artificial intelligence represents the first step towards real modernization, starting with the digitization of data relating to the agricultural sector.
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