An Overview Of Our Solution
The initiative led to the implementation of a successful sustainable development model in Morocco through the promotion of green jobs, linked to agroecology, ecotourism, and the valorisation of aromatic and medicinal plants. All the activities undertaken draw on local natural resources and respect their sustainable management.
The initiative opened up the rural community of Brachoua. Families became financially self-sufficient, the village achieved food self-sufficiency and marketed its surplus, and the business sectors diversified to reduce dependence on weather. Women have become financially independent and contribute to public decision-making.
Another innovation of the initiative was the low capital required for start-up. The initial invested capital to set up the first organic gardens does not exceed 300$.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Africa
General Information
Organization type
Nirlaba
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Forests
Grasslands
Population impacted
300 people
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
1 ha
Production quantity
N/A
People employed
120 people
Solution
Describe your solution
Ibn Al Baytar was approached in 2013 by the association of the villagers of Brachoua "Les agriculteurs modernes" to initiate a development dynamic in their village, similar to the ones devlepped by the association in the south of Morocco. The village of Brachoua has long lived in a precarious situation without access to electricity and drinking water.
The association encouraged villagers to create agro-ecological gardens while instilling in them the basics of sustainable development. From 2013 to 2015, the number of gardens has increased from 1 to 40. The villagers produce fruits, vegetables, chicken and organic eggs. These products were sold initially in the local souks before beginning to attract loyal urban customers. The quality of the products is reflected in the prices, slightly higher than the standard products. The villagers also maximize their profits by eliminating intermediaries.
The association then pushed the villagers to gather in a cooperative to promote local products. A women's cooperative was created to enhance various food and craft products (improved couscous, wicker baskets, etc.). The quality of the valued products that attract many visitors to the village, added to the beauty of the surrounding landscapes, encouraged the association to develop local ecotourism, the third axis of the village development. Ecotourism activities include hiking, tasting of local organic gastronomy, lodging with local residents, and woofing through the WWOOF network.
Implementation
Describe your implementation
Ibn Al Baytar was approached in 2013 by the association of the villagers of Brachoua "Les agriculteurs modernes" to initiate a development dynamic in their village, similar to the ones devlepped by the association in the south of Morocco. The village of Brachoua has long lived in a precarious situation without access to electricity and drinking water.
The association encouraged villagers to create agro-ecological gardens while instilling in them the basics of sustainable development. From 2013 to 2015, the number of gardens has increased from 1 to 40. The villagers produce fruits, vegetables, chicken and organic eggs. These products were sold initially in the local souks before beginning to attract loyal urban customers. The quality of the products is reflected in the prices, slightly higher than the standard products. The villagers also maximize their profits by eliminating intermediaries.
The association then pushed the villagers to gather in a cooperative to promote local products. A women's cooperative was created to enhance various food and craft products (improved couscous, wicker baskets, etc.). The quality of the valued products that attract many visitors to the village, added to the beauty of the surrounding landscapes, encouraged the association to develop local ecotourism, the third axis of the village development. Ecotourism activities include hiking, tasting of local organic gastronomy, lodging with local residents, and woofing through the WWOOF network.
- Specific activities and/or specifically what your solution does to address the identified problems above in the Context Analysis section
- How you ensured your solution was adopted and promoted change in human activities
- Enabling conditions
- Key success factors
- Any obstacles and how you overcame them
External connections
Given the success of the initiative in Brachoua, several national and international development actors (Moroccan and French associations, international cooperation agencies, national institutions) offered their technical and financial support in order to perpetuate the initiative and replicate it in the neighboring villages. The French association Caritas has, for example, supported the digging of wells and the installation of additional drip irrigation systems. National institutions such as the Ministry of Tourism, ANAPEC, INDH, the Mohamed V Foundation, etc. have made it possible to enhance the construction work undertaken, to strengthen the cooperatives created, to provide equipments facilitating the marketing of products, and to improve the ecotourism circuit. This helped consolidate the economic benefits of the initiative, while ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources.
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
Before the beginning of the initiative, the agricultural activities of the families of the village concerned mainly cattle breeding and poultry farming. The surrounding natural resources were under severe pressure due to intensive grazing. The availability of fodder and the productivity of the few cultivated plots were highly dependent on climatic conditions.
Also, access to drinking water was difficult, and water management by farmers (especially irrigation systems) and households was unsustainable. Many local genetics were neglected, and the surrounding natural landscapes were severely degraded.
Describe the context in which you are operating
The village, initially without access to electricity and drinking water, is now connected to the electricity grid, has three water fountains, and has become a known rural tourism destination of the region.
The 60 families, who lived in a precarious situation, are now autonomous and have stable sources of income (a family can earn up to $ 60 in a single day). These economic spillovers have slowed down the rural exodus which threatened the socio-economic stability of the village. Young people are very interested in the dynamics of development created, and are fully committed to the green jobs created.
The village is no longer enclaved spatially. Visitors from the main neighboring towns travel regularly to visit the village. Similarly, the villagers move to Rabat to sell their organic products.
The projects have created income-generating activities for women, initially financially dependent on their husbands and fathers. Women have been grouped together in a cooperative for the promotion of organic agricultural products and artisanal products. The empowerment of women has also been physical, thanks to their regular trips to Rabat and Casablanca, alone, to sell their agricultural products directly to the end customers. Women have become a stakeholder in all sectors of activity, and are consulted in the public decisions.
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
Before the beginning of the initiative, the agricultural activities of the families of the village concerned mainly cattle breeding and poultry farming. The surrounding natural resources were under severe pressure due to intensive grazing. The initiative has made it possible to diversify the sectors of activity of the population. The implementation of agro-ecological activities has allowed in one year to plant 850 fruit trees, and to set up 40 organic gardens between 2013 and 2015.
The use of solar energy has reduced the pressure on forest wood, and the drop by drop system associated with the construction of wells and water reservoirs has made it possible to rationalize the use of water.
The establishment of women's cooperatives has made it possible to promote valuable abandoned genetic species, including a native lentil species that is transformed into couscous.
Ecotourism, thanks to its income, allows the community conservation of the Brachoua trails.
Language(s)
Arabic, French.
Water
The drop by drop system associated with the construction of wells and water reservoirs has made it possible to rationalize the use of water.
Food Security/Nutrition
The village achieved food self-sufficiency and marketed its surplus, and the business sectors diversified to reduce dependence on weather.
Economic/Sustainable Development
Income-generating activities have benefited farmers (mostly men), women through their co-operative groupings, and young people. Families, with secure sources of income, guarantee their children better opportunities through their schooling and higher education.
Climate
The projects developed have ensured greater climate justice. Thanks to the diversification of the sectors of activity developed (ecotourism, valorization of handicraft products and medicinal plants, etc.) and the establishment of climatic-intelligent production systems, villagers' incomes are less dependent on climate change.
Sustainability
The 60 families, who lived in a precarious situation, are now autonomous and have stable sources of income (a family can earn up to $ 60 in a single day). These economic spillovers have slowed down the rural exodus which threatened the socio-economic stability of the village.
The villagers are currently self-sufficient and reinvest their profits in the expansion of their activities. The financial and technical contribution of development actors accelerate the emergence of the desired results.
Return on investment
One of the main innovations of the initiative was the low capital required for start-up. The initial invested capital to set up the first organic gardens does not exceed 300$. The successive economic spinoffs have allowed reinvesting in the scale-up and the diversification of activities.
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Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
A new partnership signed with the Ministry of the Environment and the UNDP Morocco in the context of the COP22 allowed to replicate the initiative in the neighboring village of Lembarkiyene. This partnership attracted the support of the Ministry of Tourism, ANAPEC, INDH, Mohamed V Foundation, etc. that provided financial contributions or equipments (vehicles, route markers, etc.). The promising results of this scaling up confirms the relevance of the development model chosen for the two villages.
Ibn Al Baytar also received a first civil society delegation from Togo as part of its South-South cooperation. The latter replicted the experience and obtained very similar results. A second Mauritanian delegation, inspired by the success of their Togolese counterparts, visited Brachoua this year to replicate the experience.