Mohammed Sadiki has dedicated his life to create a more sustainable environment through his work in agriculture and public service.
Last month, Sadiki received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Minnesota for all of his contributions to creating a more sustainable environment.
Sadiki started his extensive academic career in 1982 at the University of Morocco, Hassan ll Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, or IAV, and has since earned several more degrees in plant genetics and crop science.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in agronomy sciences, Sadiki went to France to earn his master’s degree in plant genetics from the University of Paris-Sud d’Orsay in 1984.
He came to the University of Minnesota in 1986 to earn his doctorate in plant genetics and earned a doctorate in crop science from IAV in 1990.
Sadiki, a Moroccan native, came to the University of Minnesota through a partnership with IAV and USAID called the Minnesota Project, which connected people from Morocco to universities in the U.S. to study agriculture.
At the University, Sadiki studied how to improve the genetics of fava beans to convert nitrogen in the air into a usable nutrient and thereby increase soil nutrients and plant growth.
“Going to the United States was an opening to see another system of doing research and training that is really different from the European system,” Sadiki said.
During his time back at the University of Morocco, Sadiki expanded his research to include chickpeas and lentils. He did research with these crops in the Mediterranean due to the crops’ importance to countries like Spain, Portugal, Tunisia, Italy and France.
Sadiki spent a year in Rome with the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute in 2003. There, he cultivated a project called The Conservation of Agricultural Biodiversity on Farms in nine countries, including Morocco. In this project, he explored the best ways to take care of multiple crops on farms.
He was elected as the director of scientific research and doctoral studies at IAV from 2005 to 2009.
Sadiki became president of IAV in 2009. During his tenure, he implemented new ways of teaching, updated the program and improved the system based on his experience at the University of Minnesota.
“It was a very important part of my professional life because I helped many people to grow and develop their careers,” Sadiki said.
Sadiki accepted the job of Secretary General for the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests of Morocco in 2013.
“This was a big switch because I moved from the university and from doing research and managing research, I moved to development and public policy in agriculture,” Sadiki said.
During his tenure, Sadiki implemented a new agriculture strategy called Generation Green to address food security in Morocco. Generation Green followed an evaluation of The Green Morocco Plan, which planned to make agriculture a driver of the nation’s economy and had already started before Sadiki became the Ministry’s secretary general.
Generation Green is based on the Green Morocco plan, but it addresses challenges The Green Morocco Plan did not overcome.
The plan focuses on increasing gross domestic product, helping to increase the volume of investments, creating new jobs and fighting climate change, according to Meer.
The majority of Moroccans live in rural areas on small farms.
Sadiki became the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Waters and Forest in 2016. His tenure ended in October 2024, but he remains politically active as a member of the National Rally of Independents party.
Sadiki received the Outstanding Achievement Award last month for all of his contributions to help create a more sustainable environment.
“I was really positively and highly honored and surprised when I got the honor from the University of Minnesota,” Sadiki said. “It was really encouraging.”