Multicultural Cooperation for Fruit Tree Planting

This week, we had the great opportunity to visit one of the High Atlas Foundation’s 15 tree nurseries as well as the town’s women’s cooperative. We were joined by Nancy and Lucy, two friends of HAF who came to Morocco from the United States and were enthusiastic to visit the countryside and meet HAF’s partners.

Our first stop was Akrich’s Jewish Cemetery and tree nursery, located in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. As the location of a Jewish saint’s tomb, Rabbi Raphael, and the resting place for many Moroccan-Jewish people, this 700 year old cemetery is an especially peaceful and beautiful place.

More than 10 years ago, HAF had the wonderful opportunity to develop its organic tree nursery project by partnering with the Jewish Community of Marrakech-Safi and creating an agricultural space adjacent to the burial site. This partnership was the first of many between Moroccan Jewish and Muslim families with HAF to develop inter-religious community relations through tree nursery projects.

The location’s wide empty terraces provide the perfect place to grow saplings and plant trees. Due to the elevation and colder and drier climate, the nursery mainly grows trees for the southern and mountainous regions of Morocco. We happened to come there when they were preparing to transplant carob and olive trees to nearby farmer families, both species that thrive in the Atlas Mountains.

On the second leg of our tour of town, we stopped by Aboghlo Women’s Cooperative and learned about how the cooperative uses their artisanal knowledge to develop their business and hone their weaving skills. It was really impressive to see that all of the rugs are completely handmade and the materials, such as wool and dye, are all sourced from local places and 100% natural.

While the women are working at making rugs, their time at the women’s cooperative provides a time for self care and socialization as well. The women explained that they take care of their households at home in the morning, come to the cooperative in the afternoon, and then take care of their children when they come home from school. The cooperative gives them a moment to meet each other and take some time for themselves during the busy day.

Aside from their artisanal craft, these women spend time learning at the cooperative. In the past, they had benefited from one of HAF’s IMAGINE women’s empowerment workshops. With that boost of confidence and self-reflection, the women continue working with HAF to learn entrepreneurial skills, take literacy classes, and discover themselves further as individuals. It is always impressive to see how such a simple concept, like taking an introspective empowerment course, can lead to such growth and long term benefits in any community.

In coordination with the Al Mishaal and Rifak association, the High Atlas Foundation distributed around 2140 almond, pomegranate, olive, and fig trees in the province Fes-Meknes, benefitting more than 80 farmers from the region.

The project's objectives are raising awareness among local community members about the importance of reforestation and its impact on the environment as well as developing the local economy by creating opportunities to generate income.

From November 14-17, a team visited the different tree planting sites and evaluated the condition of the previously planted trees.

Of the 1,100 trees that had been distributed in the commune of Nzalat Bani Aamar, 800 were in good condition. The other 300, mostly olive trees, were in need of more focused attention. In the commune of Ain Cheggag in the Sefrou province 50 fig, 50 olive, and 40 pomegranate trees had been planted. All the 140 trees were in good condition. In the commune of Ait Naamane in the El Hajeb province, 50 fig, 50 olive, and 40 pomegranate trees with an additional 30 trees yet to be planted.

In Ain Chkef in the Fès province, 300 trees had been distributed, all of which were in good condition.

Of the 200 trees that had been planted in the commune of Ait Harz Allah in the El Hajeb province, 120 were in good condition, and many of the 80 others were suffering from a lack of rainfall. Trees planted in fellow lands were affected the most.

There are plans to plant 200 trees in the Sefrou region next year.

As it can be seen in the picture, a  big issue some farmers are facing is trees being damaged by grazing animals.

The team receives many requests to monitor and evaluate fruit trees from different regions of the country. This shows that farmers are aware of the importance of the process, which indicates that the High Atlas Foundation´s efforts to raise awareness for it are successful.

The main aim of the HAF remains to provide people with the support they need to help themselves. It carries out important work to improve the environment and people's livelihoods by helping them build a sustainable and reliable source of income.