• 13 villages

Ended in 2018

Sustainable Agriculture And Forestry

Argan fruit growers

Environmental sponsorship

This project aims to improve the social and environmental conditions of 13 villages of Argan fruit growers in the forest of Mesguina. These villages form an integral part of the UNESCO Argan Biosphere Reserve in the south of Morocco.

Context

The south of Morocco is one of the world’s regions that is severely impacted by climate change. The acceleration of desertification is jeopardising the Argan ecosystem, a unique forest ecosystem.

The pillar of this ecosystem is the Argan tree, native to the region. This tree is firmly embedded in the everyday lives of local rural populations and plays a vital role in their subsistence. Its wood provides a source of energy, its leaves fodder for animals, while its fruit produces Argan oil, a stable of the populations’ diet.

Yet the Argan ecosystem is fragile, and the Argan tree is currently in decline due to the pressure of human activity (land, cultural, pastoral and demographic) over several years and the successive droughts affecting the south of the country.

Objectives

The project has 4 main objectives:

  • Protect the Argan ecosystem and its biodiversity
  • Ensure a decent income for beneficiaries of the Argan ecosystem
  • Promote and develop a sustainable apicultural industry to supplement production of Argan oil
  • Build the capacities of local associations and cooperatives and women’s leadership in the Argan industry

Impacts

Environmental impacts

  • Rehabilitation of degraded areas
  • Combat erosion and deforestation
  • Preservation of natural resources (water and soil) and biodiversity enhancement
  • Combat climate change thanks to carbon sequestration and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Socio-economic impacts

  • Survival of farms thanks to training in sustainable land management
  • Poverty reduction thanks to the creation of new sources of income
  • Conservation of heritage for future generations

Achievements

This project was implemented over 4 years and 7 months based on a participatory approach involving the population. The first phase was dedicated to agro-environmental and socio-economic diagnostic studies designed to identify the pressures on the ecosystem and determine the needs of local communities. The second phase focused on the implementation of concrete actions in the field.

The participatory analysis was launched in September 2013 and completed in December 2013. In 2014, the GoodPlanet team worked on preparing action plans with the local inter-village association AMADA (Association Mesguina des Ayants Droit de l’Argane).

In addition, in order to remedy the lack of child care structures in the community, a 50 sq.m bioclimatic classroom for children aged 3 to 6 was built using natural materials in the village of Aknaibich and inaugurated in October 2014.

Since January 2015, an apiculture consultant and the Franco-Moroccan association Migrations&Développement, based in Agadir, have been supporting local project leaders with various priorities:

ARGAN COMPONENT

  • building the capacities of local associations
  • structuring informal women’s cooperatives in the Argan industry
  • construction of an Argan nut storage facility and management of working capital
  • support for the protection of 250ha of Argan trees

APICULTURE COMPONENT

  • support for the creation of an apiculture cooperative
  • technical assistance
  • procurement of shared equipment (honey extraction and bottling, wax recycling, etc.)
  • revolving credit fund for members of the cooperative to purchase hives with frames

SCHOOL COMPONENT

  • Pen pal exchange
  • awareness-raising of the environment and protection of the Argan ecosystem

Photo credits: GoodPlanet Foundation

Operational partner

    Migration et Développement