IBN AL BAYTAR - Trade for Development Centre

IBN AL BAYTAR
ARGAN OIL CONTRIBUTES TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
IN MOROCCO
In the heart of Morocco grows the argan tree whose fruits produce an
oil with many virtues. The rapid growth in international demand of argan
oil has led to a change in ancestral production chains, which are now
threatened with industrialisation and unregulated exploitation.
The situation is all the more sensitive because protection of the arganeraies or
argan groves is a major environmental challenge for the country and tens of
thousands of women depend on this crop.
Faced with this situation, the women have been organising themselves in
cooperatives for several years to preserve this resource, protect their
activities, profit from growing markets and, in the end, work toward sustainable
socio-economic growth.
THE GREEN GOLD OF MOROCCO
The argan tree is an endemic species
that only grows in Morocco. The tree
is a precious resource for the environment
that helps to slow desertification
and stabilise soils.
These qualities have not, however,
protected it from the pressure of human
expansion in its eager search for
forage and heating wood. As a result,
the area covered by the argan forest
has melted away by half in a century
and now represents only 7% of the
country’s forest cover 1 .
THE WOMEN’S TREE
Moroccan women have known for
centuries about the many virtues of
the oil they extract from the kernels
of the argan tree. It is hard, difficult
work that requires collecting the fruit,
drying it, extracting the kernels,
crushing them, then pressing the resulting
paste to obtain the precious
oil. The nutritional, softening, and regenerating
properties of the oil make
it one of the ancient beauty secrets of
Moroccan women. It is also used in
cooking, and in this respect, recent
studies have brought to light its nutritional,
anti-oxidant, and anti-lipid
qualities.
THE ARGAN TREE, WOMEN,
AND GLOBALISATION
Globalisation arrived after centuries
of traditional harvesting. With it came
experts and multinationals. The nearly
exclusively female-run sector soon
had to deal with industrialisation and
mechanisation. Producers created
cooperatives with the goal of preserving
their traditional know-how,
better managing the arganeraies,
and optimising revenue management.
Since then, women have seen
their incomes increase significantly
and the new resources are invested
in the education of their children, notably
girls, who are encouraged to
pursue secondary school studies.
The organisation of the sector into
cooperatives has enabled improvements
in product quality and better
sales, particularly on international
markets. The sales price of argan oil
increased from €3 to €17 a litre between
1996 and 2005 2 .
“Fair trade is what
enables us to add value
to the work of local
populations and, in our
case, of the women who
produce argan oil. It is
the only opportunity we
have to guarantee fair
prices for the women of
the arganeraie, despite
the very low prices that
we are starting to see
throughout the region.”
Zoubida CHARROUF,
President of the Ibn Al Baytar
Association
1 | To find out more: Argan oil, Moroccan gold - A brochure of the Trade for Development Centre of BTC,
the Belgian development agency, published April 2010 - Available at www.befaire.be
2 | Source: Argan oil, Moroccan gold - A brochure of the Trade for Development Centre of BTC,
the Belgian development agency, published April 2010 - Available at www.befaire.be

IBN AL BAYTAR, A VISION OF THE FUTURE
A pioneer in the field, the Ibn Al Baytar association was created in 1999
with the goal of combining protection of the environment, the promotion of
traditional Moroccan medicinal plants, and economic and social progress for
women in rural areas. The project is the work of Zoubida Charrouf, a professor
at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Rabat, who is behind
the creation of the first argan oil cooperative. She explains the genesis of the
movement: “Women have always made argan oil in their homes, with their
families. Men take care of selling the product, usually on the roadside or in the
souks. But the families did not earn much compared to the labour involved.
That is why we suggested they create cooperatives. We showed them that they
could continue their activity but make a greater profit 3 .”
Rabat
MOROCCO
IMPROVE AND CERTIFY
Ibn Al Baytar is now involved in a new project to improve the turnover of the
Targante, Tighanimine and Akkaine cooperatives in the Souss Massa Daraa
region. The activities under way are intended to optimise production management,
develop quality control systems, improve the commercial brand image,
and obtain fair trade, organic, and origin certifications for argan oil production.
The programme, which has the financial support of the Trade for Development
Centre of BTC, the Belgian development agency, makes it possible
to provide the cooperatives’ teams with technical and commercial training,
to acquire new equipment and to design quality promotional materials. In April
2012, thanks to the efforts of the producing women and the support of the
Ibn Al Baytar association, the Tighanimine cooperative became the first argan
oil producing organisation in the world to obtain the Fairtrade label and to
receive a Geographical Origin certification, which it shares with the Targante
cooperative.
PLAYERS IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Argan oil is the treasure of Moroccan women and, like all treasures, it arouses
keen interest. A great deal of strength and dedication are required to preserve
this wealth, to cultivate it, and to ensure that it benefits those who are working it.
To find out more:
www.association-ibnalbaytar.com
PRESERVE. DEVELOP. SHARE.
THESE ARE THE PATHS TAKEN BY MANY MOROCCAN WOMEN
STRIVING FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
KEY FIGURES
BTC contribution:
50,000 euros (67% of the budget)
Beneficiaries:
150 producing women
3 | Excerpted from: Argan oil, Moroccan gold - A brochure of the Trade for Development Centre of BTC,
the Belgian development agency, published April 2010 - Available at www.befaire.be
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