Where: Morocco 

Solutions: Biodiversity and nature-based solutions, Sustainable cities and communities, Involvement of local communities and indigenous peoples 

The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) with its community, government, and civil partners manages 12 organic fruit tree nurseries in 7 provinces of Morocco, all on land lent in-kind. The total capacity of HAF’s nurseries is 2.44 million seeds through 2021. HAF has planted 3.5 million fruit trees (2 million since 2014) in 23 provinces and is planting 1 million fruit seeds of eight different tree varieties during the 2021 season. The saplings are raised and then distributed to farming communities. The sapling varieties grown at HAF’s nurseries include almond, argan, carob, cherry, fig, lemon, pomegranate, and walnut.

Farmers and their families benefit directly from receiving trees which allow them to increase their agricultural revenue. Planting trees also contributes to a better education for their children as the higher income can be used to afford schooling materials or transportation costs. Building tree nurseries creates jobs in remote, disadvantaged areas that lack employment opportunities. Additionally, every nursery employs 1-2 local nursery caretakers and up to four seasonal helpers. HAF fosters cooperative building particularly for rural women. They have successfully supported the development of approximately 50 women’s cooperatives in food production, fruit tree agriculture, medicinal plants and nursery management.

HAF has impacted approximately 45,000 people throughout rural Morocco through its tree planting efforts, including its community-managed nurseries. Rural farming communities have benefited from HAF’s participatory approach and have experienced increases in long-term income generated from the production and sale of fruit from the trees they attained at subsidized rates or no-cost from HAF. And in one very tangible case, a group of young women denied education gained technical skills, enhanced personal agency, and new income from their activities building a cooperative which now manages a 40,000 seed nursery with HAF in Tassa Ouirgane, Morocco.

A major challenge in relation to tree planting and growing is the availability of water. In participatory community meetings, which HAF facilitates, issues surrounding clean drinking water availability and irrigation infrastructure and efficiency are consistently prioritized as a major need. As such, all of HAF nurseries, which are co-managed by local associations, cooperatives, and education centers, are irrigated with pressure drip systems and solar pumps, which not only supply water to growing saplings, they also save on average $60 per month in electricity costs. HAF also works with rural communities toward water solutions, so far benefitting 4,000 people.

Photos provided by HAF 

 

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