helping nomadic and semi-nomadic people of Tafraout
The high valley of Tafraout in the Jbel Bani Mountains with its widely scattered farmsteads is around two hours’ drive from Zagora. The inhabitants of Tafraout have built two roads through the valley in stages over the last few years, supported by the state with materials. Electricity has only been available since 2016. Depending on where you live in Tafraout, there is more or less water, as the valley is criss-crossed by an underground water vein like a river. As a result, the wells vary in depth, e.g. approx. 140 metres at the new nomadic school, which is located near the entrance to the valley. When required, the residents either pump water into an open container a few hundred metres from the house or a water pipe runs close to the house. Women and children carry many canisters of water into their homes every day. There are hardly any toilets or showers. In addition to gas, they also use wood, which they collect on their daily hikes, for cooking. The proceeds from the sale of watermelons were obviously not invested in improving the housing situation.
The nomads in the mountains draw water, if available, from water holes or walk with a donkey to a well further away. Laundry is also washed there.
Since around 2012/13 agriculture in the Tafraout Valley has experienced rapid growth with support from the state in the form of water reservoirs and pumping stations. The cultivation of watermelons has particularly thrived in the region, with the melon fields expanding across the high valley up to the mountain slopes. Many of the pumps used for irrigation are solar-powered during the day and switched to gas at night. Watermelons have become the primary crop in the area, being the first to ripen in this part of Morocco. Even former nomads have purchased land and joined in watermelon cultivation. However, the negative consequences of this boom are becoming evident as the oversupply of watermelons has led to a drop in income for farmers and some have fallen into debt. To address this, the government has implemented policies such as limiting the area allocated for watermelon cultivation to one hectare per family and prohibiting the sale or leasing of land to investors. Furthermore, in 2022, other crops such as grain, vegetables and henna fields have also been observed in the region.
A first alternative to melon cultivation is offered by the medicinal plants project, which is supported by the Hand in Hand Fund of the “Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V.” https://www.duh.de/zielgruppen/internationales/hand-in-hand-fonds/hand-in-hand-fonds-foerderprojekte/.v
Hafid Benyachou advises the nomads and actively helps them to represent their interests outside the desert. Together with the inhabitants of Tafraout, he founded the association
“Association Akabar for Sustainable Development and Culture – الثقافة و للتنمية أكابار جمعية”
Hafid Benyachou and the nomads of the Association Akabar have actively supported the nomads of the Bouhjab area in establishing an independent nomad association, which, like the Association Akabar, regulates its own affairs and contacts authorities and other bodies outside the desert: “Association of Nomads Cavaran for Development in the Desert. People of Bouhjab-Elbayd”
Update 2024, Hafid Benyachou explains: The impact of the Sahara on Morocco is great. The sand moves fast and covers fertile land. Almost all the governors in Saharan areas such as Errachidia and Tata have stopped planting watermelons, except for the governor of Zagora, who still allows people to plant watermelons even though we have suffered a long drought of more than 6 years.
Water sources are drying up and palms are dying. Nomads who have called the Sahara home for centuries, and who have always found food and water for their animals in the desert, are now forced to find a new life in villages, towns or even outside the country. For many, such a move is unaffordable and impossible, and they are therefore tied to the region. Nomads sell their animals and have just enough money to settle in houses that remain within tribes for centuries. On the other hand, more and more people are moving away from the old villages. As a result, the huge flow of climate refugees is increasing and we are obliged to find sustainable solutions, sustainable Sahara tours (where clients book tours with locals to encourage locals to sit where they live), sustainable agriculture (there are now many plants that can live with less water and help the rain in the area) etc solar panels and wind energy to find sustainable jobs for local people.
Aid projects
The nomadic families of Tafraout are supported since years with great commitment by:
- The Italian association “Associazione Mondo Incantato” – Establishment of nomadic schools and funding of teachers – https://www.assmondoincantato.com
- FAO – Financing of the 2nd nomad school in the Tafraout Valley – http://www.fao.org/home/en/
- The German associoation “Engineers without borders” – Ingenieure ohne Grenzen: https://ingenieure-ohne-grenzen.org/ plus http://www.ingenieure-ohne-grenzen.org/de/Projekte: The “Engineers without Borders” got involved in the Tafraout Valley several times. During his first stay in Germany (2013), Hafid visited the organisation ‘Engineers without Borders’ in Berlin and reported on the water situation in the high valley of Tafraout. In 2014, members of Engineers Without Borders were in the Tafraout Valley and, with the support of Hafid and the Akabar nomad association, investigated almost all the wells in the valley. In 2015 and 2016, for example, the wells and water quality were examined, pipes were laid and a high container was built at the new nomad school.
- https://www.betterplace.org/de/projects/33606-verbesserung-der-wasserversorgung-fur-berberfamilien-implementierung:
- Sparkasse Markgräflerland 2013: Construction of an elevated water tank from donations at the former nomad school. The water pipe was laid several hundred metres under a field to the school grounds. Running water was also installed in the two toilets and a large kitchen was built. A few years later the school got its own well.
The Hand in Hand Fund of ‘Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V.’ https://www.duh.de/zielgruppen/internationales/hand-in-hand-fonds/hand-in-hand-fonds-foerderprojekte supports the ‘Association Akabar for Sustainable Development and Culture – الثقافة و للتنمية أكابار جمعية ’ with the following project, which was initiated last year by Hafid Benyachou’s trekking guest Annett Z. and launched in summer 2019. The aim of this project is to encourage rural women in the Tafraout/Jebel Bani region to grow medicinal herbs and tea so that the knowledge of medicinal plants is not forgotten. The first step of the project is to find, record and photograph medicinal plants in Jebel Bani and the dune area. To this end, the older nomad women, who have so far only passed on their knowledge orally, will be interviewed and then the relevant plants will be sought out, photographed and the results recorded in writing.
In the second phase of the project, the cultivation of suitable medicinal herbs is planned on purchased or leased fields in the high valley of Tafraout. The fields are to be cultivated by women. Marketing and sales will also be in the hands of women, who will be able to earn their own income through this project. The aim is to establish a women’s co-operative. The project is intended to offer alternatives to the watermelon boom. The negative effects are already being felt.
Update to above project by September 2020
Hafid Benyachou explains: ‘Our association “Association Akabar for Sustainable Development and Culture – الثقافة و للتنمية أكابار جمعية جمعية” has started a herbal project for women in Tafraout/Sahara together with the Hand in Hand Fund. The idea was to look for herbal plants that our parents used and still use today to keep fit and healthy. The project shows the young generation of the two nomadic schools in Tafraout/Sahara the importance of these herbal plants in our lives and is also intended to encourage the schoolgirls to grow herbs. The herb project offers women in particular the opportunity to earn their own income. As part of the project, the schoolgirls were also provided with some computers. This gave them their first contact with the world of computers.
Private donations by our trekking guests:
- Projects funded by donations from our Swiss trekking guests
- donations for the medical care of families in the Jebel Bani area
- desanding or deepening of some wells in the mountains
- involvement of lawyers to clarify the issues land rights of the nomads of Jebel Bani and review of the legality of a judgment
- renewing trekking pathes far away in Bani mountains
- support of the nomadic schools of Tafraout area
- on 14.12.2018 a big tent was given to a nomad family beeing in need
- September 2019: the team of Akabar – Sahara treks is building wells again
- May/June 2024: A well is deepened and repaired:
2. Other fundraising activities
Julia Franke, trekking traveler at Hafid, has printed for the Akabar – Sahara Treks team these very nice “Marokko-Nomaden” T-shirts with wooden stamps of own production.