Climate Change Threatens Morocco’s Ancient Argan Trees, Vital for Argan Oil Production

The 20 million trees planted in the Essaouira and Agadir regions and spread over 830,000 hectares dedicated to the argan tree, one of the oldest trees on Earth capable of living 100 to 200 years in a soil, are threatened with extinction. "Every year, nearly 3,000 hectares of argan trees disappear due to repeated droughts," the podcast "Ici le monde" reports in a publication on RTBF. "The last harvests have been lower, and the fruits are smaller," explains Fadwa el-Mennani, a member of the Marjana women’s cooperative established near Essaouira, one of the 686 cooperatives in southern Morocco exploiting the hectares dedicated to the argan tree, to Courrier International. At the origin of this change, the unpredictable weather, she assures, before lamenting: "We had summer and winter the same day, the trees cannot withstand such variations." In 60 years, temperatures have increased by more than 2 degrees in some regions where the argan tree is found, and rainfall has decreased by 20%, say researchers from the Agadir Agronomic Institute. Other causes of the loss of argan trees: Humans use them for heating, for cooking... Enough to cause a drop in argan oil productivity.

The drop in productivity is a blow to families in general and women who are the first workers in the sector, in particular. "The social objective remains important, we are looking for women who really need this work (for example, divorcees, widows) to help them improve their situation and achieve our socio-economic objectives. But today, we also have to find solutions to the poor harvests," Fadwa el-Mennani explains further. The current scarcity of the fruit has led to an increase in the price of argan oil over the past three years. A rise that is impacting the growth of the activity. "We have lost our main international clients and we have stopped exports due to the rise in prices," confides Hafida el-Hantati, who oversees oil production at the Addjigue cooperative.

In 2020, Morocco produced more than 5,600 tons of argan oil, half of which was exported, according to official statistics provided by the Ministry of Agriculture. The sector’s turnover tripled between 2012 and 2019, and represents around 108 million euros. Now 80% of the fruits are destined for abroad, it is specified.