By Zineb Laadam, Field Officer

On February 17th, the Farmer to Farmer (F2F) team members brought together Ms. Zakia, President of Doutmaquite cooperative, in Ourika valley, and Ms. Zineb, the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture (DPA) agri-food engineer in Marrakech, in order to discuss ways to help this women’s coop with which the F2F program works within the framework of an assignment (O-H-42) of training workshops on essential oil extraction.

The primary objective of the cooperative is to organize small producers to enable them to derive the benefits of large-scale business operations of essential oils. The DPA organizes training and other projects that promote cooperatives and work on cooperative principles. Good training manuals are being used for capacity-building in the areas of organization, management, and good business practices.

The DPA’s initiative will provide support for Doutmaquite cooperative by enhancing the viability and sustainability of rural women’s cooperative businesses and helping to build their capacities to manage, promote, expand, and diversify their businesses.