Tribal Networks Morocco
Location: Ait Larbi, Morocco
Start Date: March 2008
Expected Completion Date: March 2010
Project Concept
Forming a local community organization to promote permaculture in an arid and degraded (but still beautiful) place.
Project Description
 Initially we were just going to bring in modern communications to enable the people to help themselves. Their present conditions have made permaculture a priority though. There is a severe shortage of water from Spring through to Autumn. We are buying some land and building a school/community centre on it, in co-operation with a local organisation specifically set up for this purpose. A small permaculture plot can surround the school, and further land is available for a bigger project.
Primarily we need to stop the water running off as it only rains in the winter. There is plenty of water in the air at night all year round. We also need to introduce low-tech methods of purifying water and cooking food, as nearly all wood is currently removed for these purposes, or people have to carry heavy gas from the town. A large variety of local crops would lessen the need to walk into the town at least twice a week (about 10 km or more). Ideally if we convince the people to keep the goats off zone 5, the trees there could regenerate and create a reservoir of water which would permeate down all year, and prevent further erosion.
The majority of young people leave for the town as soon as they are old enough, and this has had a devastating effect on the community. A project like this could instill pride in the area, and convince some to stay, or come back and help re-build the community.
Project Duration & Schedule
Phase 1 (to Feb 2009): Build the school/community centre, get the people working together, open the school. Install water tank and photo-voltaic panels. Set up solar purification.
Phase 2 (to July 2009): Buy Comms equipment and install in building, install relays and set up internet service. Appoint full-time trainer. Concurrently buy another piece of land and start the permaculture project. We will need a designer to advise of the time-scales involved in this.
Phase 3 (to March 2010 and beyond): Add new nodes to the network in nearby villages. Phase out dependency on us for the technical skills, introduce non-destructive ways of getting money and encourage ideas from the community. Transfer ownership of project to the community. Set up cultural exchanges with other communities (e.g Cork, where Tribal Networks is based). Assist with the permaculture project where we can.
Draft plan - click for larger view
Project Needs
The land and building are already taken care of. Equipment and staff will be part of the funding proposals we are preparing to present to corporations and government bodies. The permaculture part will need to be assessed by someone with a greater knowledge than we possess, but we have a local organization who can assist with this.
Other Information
Ait Larbi is a mountainous area in the Tadla-Azilal administrative region of Central Morocco. It’s quite remote, with a very spread out human population. We found the people there somewhat despondent but open to ideas and very welcoming. A lot of their problems could be solved very easily and I think all they need is for someone to show an interest, then they will get together and make a lot happen. The response to us just showing up and suggesting a few things was encouraging. All in all it seems a similar situation physically to Jordan, though not so extreme.
Scroll down for photographs of the area:
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As we drive away from Marrakesh into the countryside, we are met
with bleak landscapes, void of vegetation to bind the soil down. All
forms of erosion are visible here. Whenever I see a few trees together,
I look out for a beginning of a forest but in vain. Always there is
only more sand and desolation behind.
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The smooth eroded rocky landscapes and dry river beds tell their
story of heavy rainfall and strong flows of water. However the water
has flown away. But the potential is there.
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Sheep and goats are everywhere. Providing staple food for the
locals, but at the same time keeping the land from recovering,
depleting the soil, exposing it to erosion. This here could be a forest
of palm trees with fruit hanging from the branches. Instead it's just a
stretch of dry sand with a few blades of grass sticking out of it,
hardly enough for these sheep to bother staying for long.
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We have just ran off the main road and up a steep winding road on
top of the ridge and stopped by the road side to see the valley opening
before us. The view is towards east.
It's getting cool with the setting sun and there's a smell and
taste of dust in my mouth from the long journey while I take down the
GPS co-ordinates. We must hurry as it's getting dark.
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The valley tops, far away from any sign of habitation, nevertheless
look very intensively sheeped. The goats have eaten anything within
their reach from the lower branches but the remaining trees look sturdy
and healthy. Rocks are sticking out of the ground everywhere with dry
grass between them. |
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In the morning after enjoying the extraordinary hospitality of
Marwane's relatives, we are greeted by the green of the deep valley
bottom. It is the end of the 'rainy' season and from here on (April)
till the end of November it will not rain. Not one drop. We were lucky
to see the valley at peak vibrancy. |
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I ate too many of these and felt sick in the stomach. Yum yum!
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The crops around the house are harvested soon. Then the long wait
for next winter begins. Only at the valley bottom where the ground
water is near are crops like these possible. There is no irrigation
since water is scarce even for drinking purposes.
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This is the most important place in the valley. A spring which flows
constantly almost throughout the year. The water has been tested by a
local doctor and it is good and healthy. Locals have encased the spring
in concrete to protect it and ration out water, flowing through a steel
pipe. It is here where people of the valley meet everyday, after
walking many kilometers over the hills to fetch their daily drinking
water. |
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People are very curious who we are and what we are doing there. Very
few tourists venture into the valley, mostly hunters who come for a day
to shoot local wildlife from the city, the locals making some money
acting as guides for them.
We stop by Marwane's uncles house and are invited for tee. We
are treated like honored guests and freshly baked bread is served from
shiny plates. The young boys watch from the doorway as we video their
house. It seems to be build entirely from earth, walls, even the floor
are all kind of smooth clay like material. The walls are very thick with
very little wood needed for structural support. The roof is made of wood
and by the looks of the ceiling supports, it is very old.
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The uncle and his family.
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We continue our journey up the valley side. After hours of walking I
look back and gaze at how high we really are. According to GPS we have
walked 3km in distance and 700m in elevation up from the valley bottom.
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We stop high up, on a village at the side of the mountain. Some of
the houses have been built precariously near steep cliffs and some
walls have indeed collapsed into valley below. The view from here is
magnificent. The family at this house invites for dinner, a chicken
which is bought from a nearby house and cooked for us. The family
maintains a few cows and some crops on a steep hillside.
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Another day, another adventure. Marwane and Me start climbing the
high Atlas, it will take us all day and into the late evening to get
through the wild bushes and trees up in the wild wilderness of the real
Atlas mountain ridges. This is the domain of the wolves and even more
dangerous wild boars, we are told. We get down from the mountain just
in time before it gets completely dark.
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Back in busy Marrakesh, a huge traditional meal to celebrate the end
of our visit: couscous with chicken and vegetables and chillies.
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