CBA Morocco: Resiliency through Sustainable Farming/Forestry Strategies in Azilal Province (Zakoura)

Douar Swit Aït Ounir and Douar Sremt are two pastoral communities in Morocco’s Azilal province, located in a mountainous region of the High Atlas with terrace farming in the valleys and high altitude forests. The two douars (villages) of approximately 2000 people are located on opposite sides of a crest at the summit surrounded by the region's endemic species: Juniperus thurifera, slopes of green oak and Juniperus ocycedrus trees.

This territory is subject to difficult living conditions such as rough climate, poor soils, extreme isolation, poverty and illiteracy. All of these factors contribute to the communities’ vulnerability to climate change. The forest is an essential means of subsistence for the local communities—forest species are exploited for pasture, as well as for use as firewood and construction wood.

The zone’s climate is semi-arid and presents strong ranges of temperatures between very cold winters and very hot summers (up to 40° C). Rainfall amounts to 500 mm on average per year, which is slightly below the national median. Changes observed by the communities over the last 20 years include an increase in the frequency and intensity of rainstorms, reduced snowfall (in quantity and duration), and, in particular, increased drought and reduced water resources.

These changes, which are expected to intensify in the future, are having a direct impact on the communities’ strategic resources and living conditions. The local ecosystems with great heritage value and strategic significance are showing signs of degradation. Juniperus thurifera, which is already threatened by overexploitation, is further imperiled by climate change-related impacts such as reduced regeneration capacity and parasite infestations. Livestock breeding, the communities’ principal source of income, has declined due to land degradation from poor forest management.

Local communities therefore need solutions suitable to both their own needs and those of the local environment.  This Community-Based Adaptation project aims to reduce the communities’ vulnerability to the negative effects of climate change and increase the resiliency of the ecosystem on which they depend. It implements sustainable and supplemental forest, fodder and farming management strategies to enable the communities to protect their resources and face the growing impacts of climate change. Direct Juniperus Thurifera regeneration activities through in situ plantings of cuttings will be undertaken in community-selected parcels. Moreover, a combination of techniques aimed at improving current fodder production and developing alternatives will help guarantee community resources while promoting forest protection measures.

This project therefore relies on two innovative measures of adaptation: planting productive and adapted species, and simultaneously reducing water consumption. Shrubs planted in “vegetative hedges” will increase short- and medium-term fodder production, with the idea of reducing congested grazing land in the green oak forest. Capacity-building and awareness-raising activities in the communities will provide the technical knowhow to increase the ecosystem’s resiliency, improve sources of income, and promote a better understanding of climate change issues. This training will also provide inhabitants with the tools required to maintain the plantings and continue breeding activities under good conditions.

To guarantee the project’s continuity and sustainability, the development of Income Generating Activities (IGA) will be initiated from the first months of the project to provide the conditions for implementing innovative artisanal activities using forest resources while also respecting the ecological balance. Particular attention will be given to the Juniperus Thurifera, which is known for its aromatic and medicinal virtues.

National and local level support include the Haut Commissariat aux Eaux et Forets et a la Lutte Contre la Desertification (Government Water & Forestry services), the Direction Provinciale de l’Agriculture (Agriculture extension services), the American Peace Corps and the Embassy of Finland in Morocco.