Argan Care has since 2016 been planting Argan trees in the threatened Argan forest of Morocco. With climate change and other environmental and human factors, the Argan forest area of southwestern Morocco has been diminishing rapidly. The reforestation project has so far been successful and we are seeing trees growing, giving hope that the forest will continue to exist.
The Argan tree is important to keep the Sahara desert from taking over the area, and it is also important for thousands of other smaller plant species. That is why we are excited to introduce the herb and medicinal plant project, a project that will help bring back smaller, yet important plants to the area.
The pilot project will start with planting a community garden in connection to a women’s Argan oil cooperative. The women will be able to use the plants in the products they make at the cooperative and thus, be able to expand their variety and range of products. This in turn, creates new opportunities for income.
The garden will also be used for educational purposes for children and youth in the area. The people of southwestern Morocco have a long tradition of using herbs and plants in their daily lives, a knowledge that is fading with the younger generation. With the new, global focus on the UN sustainable development goals, this will be an important contribution to giving local youth the capabilities and know-how of the nature that surrounds them.
Main objectives
- To preserve the unique bio-cultural heritage and make it interesting to the young generation
- Transmission of the traditional know-how of the elders to the younger generation
- Education on forest management and forest biodiversity
- Education on permaculture techniques and seed conservation
- Awareness of visitors to the conservation and use of biodiversity
- Inspire local youth to use the forest in a sustainable way as a future mean of making an income
- Contribute to preserving important plants that are in risk of distinction
- If the pilot project is deemed successful, then the project will be implemented in other areas of the Argan forest
Facts
- The planting will start in spring 2021 in the village of Aglagal, which is located in the Souss-Massa region, about 25 kilometres from Agadir, the capital of the region.
- The garden is 200m2, just next to the Ifoulkiten Aguerd cooperative that specializes on Argan oil production.
- Number of women employed at the cooperative: 30
- Number of school children in the area: 90
