It is a millennial tree whose fruits arouse lust.
The argan tree, from which argan oil is made, grows in the arid regions of Morocco – particularly in the south-west of the country – and, to a lesser extent, in Algeria.
Not very water-intensive, this tree is one of the few in the region capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 50°C.
He is an ally of choice as the drought, the worst in nearly 40 years, has taken hold in Morocco.
And it should intensify until 2050, due to a drop in rainfall (– 11%) and an increase in temperatures (+ 1.3 ° C), according to the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture.
The argan tree is not the only plant that can survive in these arid areas of Morocco.
But it has qualities that make the inhabitants proud.
"With him, we are right in the triangle of sustainable development, with an environmental, economic and social component," says Katim Alaoui, director general of the Mohammed VI Foundation for research and protection of the argan tree.
"It is nicknamed the 'bulwark against desertification' and it helps to prevent soil erosion. Economically, its oil is a very high added value and finally, nearly three and a half million Moroccans live directly or indirect effects of argan and argan tree products", continues Katim Alaoui, also head of the toxico-pharmacodynamics research team at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Mohammed V-Souissi University in Rabat.
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"In the arid and semi-arid regions where it grows, the argan tree is almost irreplaceable in soil conservation and for the fight against soil erosion", abounds Abdelaziz Mimouni, head of the Regional Center for Agronomic Research of Agadir, interviewed by the Moroccan press agency MapNews.
"The argan tree protects the soil by the shade cast by its dense crown in sub-desert regions where the main enemy of vegetation is drought", he continues.
It also enriches soils with nutrients and organic matter, "which contributes to carbon sequestration and subsequently mitigating the effects of climate change".
The argan tree and its perched goats
Growing in the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve, a protected forest covering 2.5 million hectares, the argan tree is the mainstay of local daily life.
"The population shares its life with the tree because it lives thanks to it", explains Katim Alaoui.
The images of goats climbing to the tops of trees, shared many times on social networks, illustrate the closeness of the argan forest to the locals.
Welcome to Morocco.
🇲🇦
📝 Goats love the fruits of the argan tree, an endemic tree in the region.
To get it, these greedy do not hesitate to climb.
pic.twitter.com/MAkf40HbIF
— Atom of Knowledge ⚛ (@Atomedesavoir) November 29, 2020
"The inhabitants have the right to collect the argan nuts and extract the oil from them. The foliage serves as fodder for the animals. The inhabitants have a diet based on argan oils and use the wood for heating. and cook", specifies the pharmacologist.
As robust as it is, this endemic species is nevertheless weakened.
Published on February 28, the latest IPCC report anticipates "a 32% decrease in suitable habitat for Argania spinosa [the scientific name of the species] in certain scenarios" in Morocco, a consequence of climate change.
Seeing successive drought episodes in recent years, Morocco is also one of the countries "close to the threshold of severe water stress", according to the IPCC.
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Created in 2004, the Mohammed VI Foundation for research and preservation of the argan tree, attached to the Kingdom of Morocco, aims to protect this tree, preserve the local economy linked to the cultivation of argan oil and raise public awareness. local.
In order to dissuade the inhabitants from cutting down trees for heating, this state body has, for example, offered them the use of cookers powered by solar energy.
The cookers have been installed in school canteens in the province of Essaouira and teachers have been trained in their use to prepare meals.
“Everyone played the game. The mothers of these children, who are argan oil producers organized into cooperatives, regularly came to school to eat with the children,” recalls Katim Alaoui.
These cookers were then given to families whose children had the best solar results.
An initiative that saves "five to ten kilos of wood per day", according to Katim Alaoui.
The Foundation carries out other actions, such as campaigns to plant argan trees, alongside cosmetic brands using argan oil, such as Yves Rocher or Galénic.
Argan oil victim of its success
But these projects are not enough.
Symbol of eternity and resilience in Morocco, the argan tree must, ironically, be protected.
It was thus recognized in 2014 as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by Unesco.
Then, in 2018, as a World Agricultural Heritage System by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
A world day has even been dedicated to it since last year – May 10.
At the initiative of Morocco, the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, adopted yesterday by consensus, the resolution which proclaims May 10 of each year as International Day of the Argan tree.
pic.twitter.com/MFFyt2KGzC
— Morocco Diplomacy 🇲🇦 (@MarocDiplomatie) March 4, 2021
Today, "the threat of deforestation is increasingly attenuated. A lot of things have changed. We know how to grow the argan tree better than in the early 2000s", welcomes Katim Alaoui.
Morocco, where almost all of the world's production of argan oil comes from, is now seeking to regulate sales abroad.
According to the Moroccan news agency, Morocco produces between 4,000 and 6,000 tons of argan oil and exports between 1,000 and 1,500 tons per year.
In this case, the Mohammed VI Foundation for the research and preservation of the argan tree has won a victory: the establishment of a period of several months in the year when argan nuts cannot be picked up.
A biological rest that should help relieve these overstretched ecosystems.
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