Mr. Oussama El Gharras | Sustainable Engineering | Innovative Research Award
Mr. Oussama El Gharras | National Institute for Agricultural Research | Morocco
Mr. Oussama El Gharras is a distinguished agricultural engineering specialist with extensive expertise in mechanization, conservation agriculture, and the development of farm machinery, supported by a research record featuring 57 citations by 55 documents, 8 published documents, and an h-index of 4. Born on 22 November 1962 in Marrakech, he earned his Ingénieur d’application degree from IAV Hassan II, followed by a Master of Science in Agricultural Engineering from Oklahoma State University and PHD coursework at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, later strengthening his managerial background through the Cycle Supérieur de Gestion at ENCG Settat. His career at INRA encompasses major contributions to small farm mechanization, animal traction, food legume production mechanisation, and the design and industrial development of No-Till seed drills and feed block units. He managed the INRA agricultural engineering laboratory and coordinated several national and international initiatives, including the INRA-IAV-DERD No-Till project, AAAID-CRRA Settat program, AusAID-ACIAR-INRA collaboration, and ConServeTerra. As Vice President of AGENDA and an active member of AMAC and the National Commission of Agricultural Mechanization, he continues to play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable agriculture in North Africa. His scientific publications address conservation agriculture, weed dynamics, and resilient farming systems in semi-arid regions.
Featured Publications
El Gharras, O. (2024). Perceptions and sociocultural factors underlying adoption of conservation agriculture in the Mediterranean. Agriculture and Human Values.
El Gharras, O., El Mourid, M., & Boulal, H. (2016). Conservation agriculture in North Africa: Experiences, achievements and challenges. In A. Kassam et al. (Eds.), Conservation agriculture for Africa: Building resilient farming systems in changing climate. CAB International.
Tanji, A., El Gharras, O., Mayfield, A., & El Mourid, M. (2017). On-farm evaluation of integrated weed management in no-till rainfed crops in semi-arid Morocco. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 12(16), 1404–1410.
Tanji, A., El Gharras, O., Ouabbou, H., & Mladen, T. (2017). Weed dynamics in no-till rainfed crops in Chaouia, semi-arid Morocco. Journal of Agricultural Science, 9(11).
El Gharras, O., El Brahli, A., & El Mourid, M. (2009). No-till system applied to Northern Africa rainfed agriculture: Case of Morocco. In Proceedings of the 4th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture (pp. xx–xx). New Delhi, India.
El Gharras, O., & Idrissi, M. (2006). Contraintes technologiques au développement du semis direct au Maroc. Options Méditerranéennes, Série A: Séminaires Méditerranéens, 69, 121–124.
El Gharras, O., Ait Lhaj, A., & Idrissi, M. (2004). Développement d’un semoir non labour industriel. In Deuxièmes Rencontres Méditerranéennes sur le Semis Direct (pp. 74–81). FERT/RCM; AGER.