Sustainable Agriculture Morocco Project #8776

Plant Organic Fruit Trees with African Farmers

by High Atlas Foundation

Plant Organic Fruit Trees with African Farmers

Project Report | Apr 20, 2022
Solar Panel Maintenance at the Communities Nurseries

By Houria Chouhab | F2F Volunteer Technical & Field Assistant

Morocco, as any other country, has increasing energy demands, and electricity demand has been projected to rise by 250% from 2015 to 2030, causing the demand to double. The economic growth, the increasing Moroccan population, and the nation’s industrial sector are all motivating factors that drive the demand for more energy sources.

In the agricultural sector, renewable energy offers irrigation solutions to farmers by using the solar water pumps. This system is allowing them to manage the water in a sustainable and ecological manner in favor of exploiting the radiative energy of the sun. Therefore, farmers will get access to water without the constraint of oil or gas supplies in order to operate.

Most nurseries of the High Atlas Foundation have installed solar panels mainly in order to help with the water pumps and also to make use of cheap, renewable solar energy for the long term.

Maintaining the solar panels does not only keep them clean but it also guarantees longer and more effective performance. Last month, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) Farmer to Farmer (F2F) team welcomed Jan Stenstrom, a US Volunteer who traveled all the way to Morocco in order to share his expertise in the field of solar panels with the caretaker of different communities nurseries.

The solar panels generally need simple and easy maintenance, which can be done two to four times per year, according to the area where they are installed. For example, if it rains more often in a given place, nature is automatically cleaning the panels. However, periodic cleaning is needed in a place where dirt, leaves and other debris cover the solar panels most of the time.

The F2F team and the US volunteer visited three nurseries, two in the Marrakech-Safi Region and one nursery in the Beni-Mellal region. Mr. Stenstrom started all the training by talking about the right materials to do the cleaning, and it is important to note that abrasive soap or sponges are dangerous and might scratch the panels, which therefore leads to less effective production of the energy.

Another important advice for the nurseries’ caretakers to remember is to start the cleaning at an early time of the day before the sunrise or later in the day when the sun sets. Wetting the panels when they are warm might harm the panels and cause damages. That is why the cleaner shall go for the maintenance when the solar panels are cold.

As for the directions, Mr.Stenstrom explained that it is always preferable to start by mixing a biodegradable soap with water in a big bucket, and then dipping in a soft rag and beginning to gently wipe the solar panels. In case there is any grime or dirt that has built up on the panel, it is better to use a soft, wet brush. Last, use a hose for water to rinse the panels and, just as importantly, use a soft wiper at the end. At sites where the panels are very large and difficult to reach because of height as well as enclosure, it is preferred to install a pipe with holes, two centimeters apart, along the top edge of the panel structure, connected to the water system. This would allow for a safe, and easy cleaning of the panels, like the rain would do and it does not present an additional cost to the nurseries’ caretakers.

As you can see, the maintenance steps are simple and easy to implement. However, the person cleaning the panels should be careful and use only soft materials to avoid scratching them.

The nursery's caretakers were reassured that following these steps will definitely guarantee a great, long-term efficiency of the panels.

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Mar 17, 2022
Cooperatives and women's empowerment: the story of Konouz Lakdirate

By Zineb Laadam | HAF Field Officer

At first glance Mrs. Mesbahi, Mrs. Nadir look no different from any other rural women in Morocco. They live in a far-away area called Lakdirate in Al Youssoufia Province, about 90 km from Marrakech, and lead a mundane country lifestyle, looking after their households. But that is what appears on the surface. Unlike most of the rural women in the region, they are now more independent and proactive in many ways. Above all, they enjoy a degree of financial independence and can support their families.

Their lives changed when a women’s cooperative was established in their area in 2021 after they benefited from an IMAGINE workshop last June 2021 filled with reflection, discussion, and exercises that allowed them to open up on topics that may have been previously uncharted. Providing a structure for discussion went a long way in creating bonds between the women, who had not previously interacted with one another but who have experienced both success and failure and found comfort in common exercises that ultimately helped them create their cooperative. What started as a small initiative involving just a few women has grown into a business employing 30 women from Lakdirate village.

Led by Mrs. Mesbahi, the president of the cooperative, all women who work here have different stories to share but one common goal: to make a living for themselves and their families and create employment opportunities for other women in their community.

Konouz Lakdirate Cooperative aimed to increase agricultural revenue for Moroccan families after growing a fruit tree nursery. However, they needed capacity-building support so that they could achieve their aim.

On December 25th, the Farmer-To-Farmer (F2F) team launched an assignment (O-H-40) in order to enrich the women’s cooperative Konouz Lakdirate and to help guide their planning, decision-making, and human and material resources allocation.

Boumargoud, the local F2F volunteer, and Klimas, the paired remote U.S volunteer, worked together with the HO members to deliver to them the essential tools for building their business plan on the establishment and management of the tree nursery.

Recently, HAF and its partners helped by launching a pilot project of a tree nursery and decentralized renewable energies for the benefit of the Konouz Lakdirate cooperative.

Mrs. Douirani says: "Our cooperative was created in a rural area suffering from poverty and drought. The cooperative gathered poor women from the area and gave them jobs. We are producing different types of traditional couscous. And we started recently working in the nursery to produce fruit trees thanks to the project."

Under the project, the cooperative's members benefited from Solar panels installed both at the Aljoulane school and within the nursery and three wells: two for irrigation and community use and another for the school. A water tower is also being built for the benefit of the entire village.

Ms. Khalouk, one of the youngest women at the cooperative, says: "I had to stop my studies. But I have been working at the cooperative. And during this period, I attended numerous training , and was also able to gain experience by attending a number of workshops. With the cooperative’s help, I believe I will be able to complete my professional education and earn an income to support myself and my family members. The cooperative and the project are playing a very important role in this dry and poor area."

Currently, their main activities are growing and planting fruit trees with the farming families in the province, they are working to plant Argan, carob,Fig, pomegranate and almond trees.

Konouz Lakdirate co-op is the first one in the community that runs a fruit tree nursery using an irrigation system and Solar panels. The members are seeking to have more and better tree production and to expand their capacity for their future nursery that would allow them to start growing other fruit trees.

The women of Lakdirat exhibited energy to work in order to support their families and participate in the progress of their community and the F2F program continues supporting them by launching another assignment (O-H-46) of a training workshop on Solar PC maintenance.

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Mar 3, 2022
Updates: Sidi Abdallah, Skhour Rhamna province

By Houria Chouhab | F2F field assistant

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