- EMAIL ADDRESS: h.boulal@apni.net
- PHONE NO: +212 6 61 77 31 88
- LOCATION: P.O. BOX 589, SETTAT, MOROCCO 43150
Hakim received his B.Sc. in Agricultural Sciences from the National School of Agriculture in Meknes, Morocco. He earned his Ph.D. in Biology and Agronomy from the National School of Agronomy of Rennes (France), and a second Ph.D. from the University of Cordoba (Spain) on conservation agriculture including soil and water conservation, crop management, and irrigation management.
Dr. Boulal has over 25 years of experience in applied agronomic research and rural development. As a young agronomist he began his career with a long stay in Germany where he improved his practical farm skills including machinery, crop production techniques, and farm management. Dr. Boulal began his professional career in Morocco within the National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) by leading a regional research/development unit of INRA in central Morocco and as an agronomist in the department of agronomy. His research focus was on cropping systems, water use efficiency, and soil and water conservation.
Dr. Boulal started his international career within the International Centre of Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) as a member of the Integrated water and land management program where he coordinated research projects in Morocco on improved water management for sustainable agriculture and provided direct support to national institutions.
Prior to joining APNI, Dr. Boulal was Deputy Director of the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI), North Africa Program. In this position he worked to develop the first regional research program of IPNI in North Africa including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Senegal. Dr. Boulal implemented and coordinated research and development collaborative programs with national research institutions, development institutions, and fertilizer industry to promote and strengthen capacity for improving scientific knowledge on nutrient management for enhanced crop productivity in the region. Dr. Boulal has contributed widely to the development of decision support tools, training programs and educational support tools for improving fertilizer recommendations.
As program manager of APNI North Africa, Dr. Boulal’s responsibilities include the management and leading of projects with national and international institutions, fertilizer companies, and NGOs in the region through research, development, and capacity building programs for improving knowledge on the best nutrient management practices in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, and Senegal.
Dr. Boulal has authored and co-authored numerous books, referred journals, chapters of books, manual guides in his expertise areas on annual crop production, crop ecophysiology, conservation agriculture, nutrient management, soil and water conservation.