Argania … a gifted tree

Young reporters for environment :

The 24th edition

Argania … a gifted tree

Back into the tertiary era , in southwestern Morocco , under the scorching sun , on the shifting sands ,  a rare and a thorny evergreen tree has been born , and eventually became an international biosphere and a cultural heritage , as classified by UNESCO in 1998 . And May 10 has been proclaimed as the annual international day of this tree . But before it became a household name , and achieved global acclaim , the tree gained a huge interest by a lot of Arab geographers and botanists.

                Argania Spinosa – “the tree of life”

Over the decades , the Argan tree has captured the heart of many geographers . El-Idrissi ( 1100-1165) indicated in his book “ the excursion of one eager to penetrate the distant horizons” that he wrote to the king of Sicily “ Roger II” , and which it became a reference to a lot of European scientists , that the Argan tree is located in hight Atlas . He described it as a peer tree because of its branches and leaves.

In the 13^th century , Ebn-Elbetar studied Argania , and he described it as “ a small oak gall , yellow in color , with a hole in one side that doesn’t go all the way through , and its inside resembles a pine nut “. He insisted as well that this tree is only found in Morocco .As also confirmed by a Moroccan founder , that they’ve tried to plant Argan trees elsewhere , the tree would grow but it wouldn’t give nuts .

The Argan tree gained widespread popularity , because of its importance for achieving food security and for cosmetic uses as well .

In southwestern Morocco , where the temperature can reach 40°C or even 50°C during summer , which would make you feel cooked, it’s hard for people to provide food supplies . The dry weather makes farming very challenging , so the people resorted to care more about Argania . The latter can resist the temperature of this zone , and live for 200 years , which make it a reliable economic , social and an environmental source. This tree is characterised by its long root that can grow 35 metres deep into the earth in search of groundwater ,this tree is hailed as a true gift , not only because it supports sustainable development , but it zmpwers rural women as well .

1.Argan tree .. the tree of blessings :

Despite the dominant drought problem in Morocco , before the recent  rainfall , our dear Argan tree plays a huge role to protect our ecosystem by fighting

desertification through stopping soil erosion and sand encroachment . And that’s the reason why Morocco will develop 246000 hectares of Argan forests and will plant 10000 additional trees . Argania helps achieving food security not only by  the argan oil , which also called the liquid gold , who has a lot of health benefits ,  but also by being a fodder for livestock as sheep , and camels ,  and ensures the sustainability of animal resources.

2.From humble cooperatives in the southwestern Morocco to the world stage:

Beyond the environmental benefits , the tree of life contributes to Morocco’s income by improving the local economic conditions . It all begins with the resilient women who harvest the nuts by hand  , turn it into “liquid gold” which would eventually be sitting on the shelves of high-end boutiques in New York or Los Angelas:

Over the years ,the Argan sector has provided job opportunities for about 3 million people according to statics. . this industry  gathers 250 cooperatives , most of which include rural women helping them achieve self-sufficiency.

.  Fatima Amehri ( the president of Idaoumitat argan cooperative ) said : “ Members began to have an income , which helped them achieve financial independence … ” .

On the other hand , the U.S.A is considered as one of the top importing countries for Argan in the world representing 30 % of the global demand . , and we cannot overlook companies like Josie Marie which stands as one of the strongest advocates of Argan oil promoting it as a powerful alternative to chemicals in skincare and haircare . Let’s not forget that in Asia-Pacific especially china , Japan , and south korea , the importation of Argan oil must be growing due to the high demand in the nutrition and the medical  sector, because it works as a Moisturizer and a treatment.

sector, because it works as a Moisturizer and a treatment for teen acne and other things as well  .   And all of this reflects positively on Morocco ‘s economy and status.

3.   The future of Argania :

But beyond all these great accomplishments , we must not ignore all the dangers that are threatening this tree which would eventually reflects negatively on our ecosystem . For example , a simple problem that we all

witness in our country and which became a big hurdle not just to Argan cultivating but to the agriculture in general which is overgrazing .the nomads would bring their sheep and camels and let them graze in  the open lands . Why couldn’t we stop this by spreading awareness and organising the grazing by making it rotational and specify the specific numbers of livestock that could graze in a certain period of time ? so we can protect both of our nature and respect the nomads and their way of living .our dear tree of life is threaten by the urban sprawl as well that causes the vanishing of argan oases and the loss of density .

. And that’s the reason why  RARBA association ( created in 2002 )  is looking forward to protect Argania tree and puts so much effort into this regard . trying to guarantee a better future for Argania despite the weather challenges , because while  “ Generation green 2020-2023” aims to double production , the industry faces a lot of threats either due to human behaviour or natural problems . So , let’s support the « Argan Regeneration Projects: The Lifeline of Tafraout’s Forests » because  sustainability demands planning for the future, ‘Argan regeneration’ (projects in the Tafraout region emerge as a cornerstone of the adopted environmental solutions. These operations aim to revitalize the Argan forests and combat the aging of trees by planting new seedlings and supporting the natural regeneration of the ecosystems. Despite the major challenges posed by water stress in the region, these projects remain the only hope to ensure the survival of this ecological heritage and protect the local population from the specter of migration by providing sustainable job opportunities.

Information contained in this document was gathered via comprehensive web-based research and secondary data analysis . For complete transparency, a detailed bibliography of all sources consulted down below :

• UNESCO.COM
• United Nations
• Grand view research
• IGP.Argane
• Yabiladi News
• Youtube.Com

Prepared by :    

Maryem El kahlaoui

  under supervision of :

Hakima Rafi