Morocco Launches Ambitious Argan Tree Reforestation Project to Boost Agriculture

This project, called DARED and financed by the Green Climate Fund, aims to transform the production of argan, currently from forest harvesting, into a real organized agriculture.

The ADA thus wishes to improve productivity and move argan oil from the status of a local product to that of a product marketed on a large scale. "This project is changing the game," explains the ADA. "The beneficiaries no longer see argan as a simple forest fruit, but as a fully-fledged agricultural product."

Beyond the economic aspect, the DARED project aims to strengthen the climate resilience of these vulnerable regions. The planting of these trees will help fight desertification and reduce CO₂ emissions. The project also provides support to local populations to improve their living conditions.

Concretely, the DARED is structured around three main axes:

• The planting of argan trees,
• The organization of the production sector
• The promotion of scientific research.

The National Agency for the Development of Oasis Zones and the Argan Tree (ANDZOA) is responsible for the implementation of the project, led by the ADA.

This large-scale project will directly benefit 26,000 people and indirectly 345,000 inhabitants. The area concerned, located near the argan forest, already has a network of 300 cooperatives with more than 6,500 members who are active in the collection and enhancement of argan products.