Tree nursery to benefit 10,000 Rural Moroccans

Summary

This tree nursery provides 60 remote rural Moroccan villages with 100,000 fruit tree saplings and the technical training necessary to advance economic development and nature conservation.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Project will address rural poverty and environmental degradation. The communities consist primarily of subsistence farmers and shepherds. Overgrazing and deforestation have resulted in soil erosion that affects agriculture and impedes access to clean water. This nursery will provide a cash crop that will increase the income of 10,000 inhabitants by at least 150% after two years, offer a more diverse diet with fruits, improve soil and water quality, and combat overgrazing and deforestation.

How will this project solve this problem?

Community members organize the construction of a fruit tree nursery of 100,000 saplings – including walnut, cherry, apple, pear, and plum. Local care takers are trained in the skills necessary to maintain the nursery for its two year duration.

Potential Long Term Impact

The impact includes an average increase in income of 150% per household, income diversification and employment, ecosystem restoration, prevention of urban migration and the technical capacity to maintain the growth of orchards.

Project Message

Tree planting projects are essential for Morocco, and become transformative when you use them as a training tool to teach people how to engage in the development process.
- Mouhssine Tadlaoui-Cherki, Director of Env't Program, Peace Corps Morocco

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).

Resources