From all of us at the High Atlas Foundation, we extend best wishes for health and all good things. HAF has experienced great success in 2014, and we wish nothing but the same for you in 2015.
Morocco’s model for human development creates enormous possibility for our participatory approach and organic agricultural value-chain, and for the entire region.
This past quarter, HAF has entered into partnerships with the High Commission of Waters and Forests, municipalities, schools, universities, associations (including the Jewish community of Morocco), cooperatives and families - all have lent land for at least five years to establish community tree nurseries.
Starting from next month, we are scheduled to export to the United States 14 tons of organic certified walnuts from the High Atlas Mountains. In January 2014, HAF planted its one millionth seed in Morocco. With our full value chain is in place, we may - Insha’Allah - achieve much greater scale.
In 2015, HAF and communities propose that together we plant a total of four million seeds and saplings of 12 types of fruit trees and more than 20 aromatic plant varieties - all of which may receive internationally recognized organic certification. This can be achieved at a total cost of $2.5 million, with a resulting direct impact on 200,000 rural inhabitants and an indirect one benefiting a further 40,000.
We hope with all our heart that we may receive your support to plant this season. Every dollar enabled HAF to plant its first million trees. For additional updates from HAF please see here.
Sincerely,
Jacqueline
Links:
Dear Friend,
Good day and we hope all is well from the team here at the High Atlas Foundation.
Today, I'd like to share with you a specific update for the nursery development in the Essaouira Province.
The key to sustainability has been the participatory planning approach, which thanks to funding from the National Endowment for Democracy has replicated in Essaouira. This training will make your contributions to the organic fruit tree and medicinal herb nurseries all the more important as it will ensure that there are people capable of managing and developing the nurseries you help build.
The aims of this project are to train 5 local people to be trainers in participatory approaches; creation and management of cooperatives; organic agriculture; project implementation and evaluation and participatory data collection. These 5 people will then go into the field to engage local association and cooperative members, elected women and community leaders in these techniques and subjects with a view to supporting further human development in Essaouira Province. Specifically, we hope this project will underpin the functions of the Cooperative Amoud Mogador – the creation of which HAF has facilitated – and the organic tree and plant nursery HAF plans to create in partnership with the coop, ultimately creating greater linkages and dynamism in local civil society. With the networks and capacities built through this training program, we hope to identify local projects and partnerships for future funding through the income generated by the Amoud Mogador Cooperative and HAF’s social enterprise, HA3.
The pictures below are from the September 27-28 workshop where the trainees learned about the Communal Charter and how to proactively intervene in its creation in order to promote local human development. Their trainer was Mr Mustapha Neflous of the Moroccan National Human Rights Council (CNDH).
Here at the High Atlas Foundation we would like to thank you for your continuous support which is critical to building sustainable development. We look forward to providing you with further updates and hearing your ideas for sustainable development.
Kind regards,
Jacqueline
Links:
Ramadan Kareem on behalf of the High Atlas Foundation!
Here at HAF, we are busy with obtaining organic certification for Moroccan agricultural products. Agricultural products marketed through a new social enterprise, High Atlas Agricutlure and Artisanal (HA3), will generate increased income for marginalized populations in Morocco and create a multiplied return. These organic, fair-trade, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible products will empower rural Moroccans while simultaneously improving their access to clean drinking water and education through reinvestment.
The Organic Fruit Tree and Medicinal Herb Nurseries project is especially pertinent to the progress of HA3. The demand for organic and fair-trade agriculture has come directly from rural Moroccans, who wish to break the cycle of subsistence agriculture. The medicinal herb nurseries will especially help to empower women, who will manage the nurseries. During Ramadan, HAF plans to incorporate the participatory development method into nursery management plans and begin training community members in Ouaouizerth, Ait Mhamed, and Tifnoute. Plans for tree-planting and irrigation systems are underway, and with the harvest soon approaching, the need for organic certification becomes increasingly important.
To hear more about HA3, and this new exciting chapter in HAF, view a message from HAF’s president, Yossef Ben-Meir here. Organic certification benefits not only the local communities, but reinvests in Morocco’s agriculture, environment, and education.
On February 12-13, HAF Director of Development, Aicha Galef, represented HAF at Agora MedSpring brokerage event in Cairo, Egypt. There she presented HAF’s innovate social enterprise, High Atlas Agriculture and Artisanal (HA3). HA3 was chosen as one of 15 idea carriers from throughout the Mediterranean region and was given the opportunity to pitch its sustainable and eco-friendly business model to a group of researchers, experts, and investors, resulting in the creation of new partnerships for the success of this agribusiness startup. With a strong focus on food, water, and energy, this event celebrated creative solutions to the challenges that face Mediterranean nations including environmental protection, food security, and water conservation.
HA3 received great feedback for its social enterprise structure based on securing organic certification to increase farmer incomes and to create revenue for community development projects. The brokerage event sought to provide a venue for civil society members, government representatives, and research institutions to connect and increase collaboration. Aicha had the opportunity to speak with young entrepreneurs and innovative thinkers from throughout the Mediterranean region.
HA3 is expected to benefit greatly from new partnerships formed at the Agora MedSpring event. Dynamic partnerships and inter-sectoral cooperation will help overcome some of the most challenging obstacles to environmental conservation and food security. The HA3 social enterprise will confront these challenges throughout rural Morocco by reinvesting profits from the sale of organic walnuts and almonds into human development projects that benefit the community, such as in education, health, and women and youth empowerment.
On 16th January 2014 a milestone event in the calendar of the High Atlas Foundation is scheduled to take place in various locations throughout Morocco, with the celebration of its successfully completed 'One Million Tree Campaign'. Over ten years, we estimate to have helped 50,000 people make the step out of poverty. The project is poised to continue indefinitely, at an accelerated pace, with 500,000 young trees expected to be planted in 2014 alone.
The planting of HAF's One Millionth Fruit Tree will occur at noon on 16th January 2014 in eight provinces simultaneously where HAF currently has projects: Al Haouz, Azilal, Boujdour, Essaouira, Ifrane, Rhamna, Taroudant, and Taza.
HAF encourages communities and associations to make their own tree planting events on this momentous occasion. Contact us about creating an event in your area and we will do our best to send organic trees conducive to your region.
As a part of Sami’s project, this event will be celebrated with schoolchildren, and the millionth tree will be planted in school yards as symbol of commitment for this generation and the next to take care of our earth and find sustainable methods for our lives. We do this in memory of Sami El Kouhen who passed away from cancer at three years old.
As we approach this historic occasion, we are reminded of how far we’ve come since the inception of the HAF agriculture project in 2003. Each year this project has accelerated rapidly towards the One Million Tree goal, with 235,000 trees planted in 2013, capping four consecutive record-breaking years.
Land is made available by a variety of interested parties including the Moroccan High Commission for Water, Forests and Desertification Control, cooperatives, municipalities, women’s associations and the Jewish community of Marrakesh. We plant recognizing the High Atlas Foundation’s Peace Corps roots, with the Ouaouizerth of Azilal community where the late Ambassador Christopher Stevens served as a Volunteer, in southern Morocco remembering former Volunteer Kate Jeans-Gail and her mother Victoria, and in the north inspired by former Volunteer Tom Tolen – allah yarHamu, God rest their souls. We plant, with faith in the Moroccan people and in humanities future, and we will not stop.
Fruit seeds and saplings including carob, olive, pomegranate, almond and walnut are planted in nurseries managed entirely on organic lines. At the end of each project mature trees are distributed at the symbolic cost of 1 Moroccan Dirham (a fraction of their true market value) to the surrounding population, starting with the most marginalised. In this way the local and national economy is being developed through a variety of business initiatives, overseen initially by HAF. Crucially, the land management strategies put into place prevent erosion and desertification.
Ten years ago, we could only dream that the Campaign would blossom into a powerful tool for breaking the cycle of poverty, strengthening the communities’ connection to local environmentalism to achieve socio-economic empowerment. Through HAF’s participatory approach, tree nurseries have lead to other human development projects: fruit tree plantations, women’s coops, local irrigation projects, youth empowerment and educational projects and much more. Each project improves confidence, income and socio-economic development in rural and often marginalized communities.
Initiatives inspired from the 1 Million Tree Campaign
Organic Certification: The HAF-initiated organic agriculture project spans the entire development process – from nurseries to market. HAF trains rural famers in organic agriculture techniques and empowers them with the skills to expand these projects. By securing organic certification, farmers are able to generate higher revenue for their produce.
High Atlas Agriculture and Artisanal (HA3): The HAF is in process of establishing an enterprise to manage the agriculture initiative. With 1 million trees planted, and millions more to come, this enterprise will unite rural farmers, allowing them to market their produce in the domestic and international market. HAF was recognized as 2013 SEED Award winners for this achievement in innovation, entrepreneurship and promising efforts to promote economic growth, social development and environmental protection in Morocco.
HA3 will distribute a portion of the net profit generated to family farmers for additional income. The remaining income will be directly reinvested in the community, by funding new human developed projects in education, health, and women’s and youth empowerment, initiatives identified and implemented by community members.
Zero Waste Commitment: The HAF has made a Zero Waste Commitment to account for the waste produced by these 1 million trees. Fruit trees produce agricultural waste, be it nut shells and hulls, or fallen leaves, the HAF has a plan to repurpose this waste.
What’s next?
In order to break subsistence agriculture, Morocco needs to plant billions of trees and plants (according to its own projections). HAF is proud to have contributed 1 million trees to this cause, and will continue to expand our agriculture project until we reach that next million. As profits from the sale of organic produce are reinvested in human development projects, HAF is confident that this project will continue to accelerate each year. It took us 10 years to plant our first million trees, help us plant the next million in 2 years! Community partners are ready, are you?
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