Supporting our first tree planting project in Morocco with the High Atlas Foundation

Fantastic news – we’ve recently teamed up with the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) to support a new project in Ouezzane, Morocco! Since July 2022, this project has already made some great progress, with a new nursery being constructed with an irrigation system powered by solar power to keep all the saplings healthy.

We’re really proud to have begun this exciting new collaboration with the team at HAF to support their impactful projects. Read on to find out more about HAF and the first project we’re supporting with this incredible organisation.

The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) is a Moroccan association and a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation founded in 2000 by former Peace Corps Volunteers committed to furthering sustainable development. HAF supports Moroccan communities to take action in implementing human development initiatives. HAF promotes organic agriculture, women’s empowerment, youth development, education, and health. 

It’s imperative to us that we partner with organisations that promote inclusion and gender equality, which are at the core of HAF’s business model. Their participatory approach to projects begins with dialogue including all community members from a range of age, gender, education, income, land ownership, religious, and ethnic groups representative of the project location. 

Starting in November 2023, 400,000 tree saplings raised in the project’s nursery will be distributed throughout the Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima (TTA) region. This region was specifically chosen to improve farming practices near the spring of the Oued Loukkos river, which feeds downstream protected wetlands that are currently suffering from eutrophication. 

Importantly, 120,000 of the trees will be planted on 600 hectares of public domain granted by Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to the 19 villages of Zefrioune. The trees will be provided to farming families (7,000 people) and education centres in TTA, who will be the sole beneficiaries of the yields of these trees. 

This project’s nursery area will be the heart of the project and dedicated to providing improvements in biodiversity and economic stability for farmers of the TTA region. By planting keystone species, such as threatened endemic fig species, which enrich the soil with nutrients, retain water, and attract unique local pollinators, this project will provide local farmers with the stability and independence needed to withstand future crises. 

The nursery will serve as a scientific teaching garden containing all ten regionally endemic fig varieties, which will enable local farmers to be trained in production and value-adding processing techniques, and initiate the development of a fig growers’ cooperative to further explore opportunities in cultivation and marketing. 

The below video provides an example of HAF’s approach to its agroforestry projects.

To read more on what High Atlas Foundation is all about, see here.

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