{"id":1850,"date":"2018-06-02T17:28:28","date_gmt":"2018-06-02T15:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/didouqen.com\/?p=1850"},"modified":"2018-06-02T17:28:28","modified_gmt":"2018-06-02T15:28:28","slug":"multicultural-agricultural-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/multicultural-agricultural-development\/","title":{"rendered":"MULTICULTURAL AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT"},"content":{"rendered":"

HAF recently signed four new agreements with the Moroccan Jewish Community of Marrakech to build tree nurseries on land adjacent to Jewish cultural sites. These nurseries will be for the benefit of the local communities and this agricultural initiative will be incorporated into a federation of cooperatives that promote\u00a0organic, fair trade agricultural and artisanal products<\/a>\u00a0from Morocco.<\/p>\n

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Last planting season<\/a>, HAF implemented this multicultural agriculture project on land near the Akraich village (Al Haouz province), adjacent to the sacred site of the Jewish \u201csaint\u201d Rabbi Raphael Ha Cohen.\u00a0 With the generous support of the Lodestar Foundation and wife and husband Wahiba Estergard and Michael Gilliland, HAF and local partners planted 50,000 fruit seeds for the benefit of approximately 8,000 people. In the second year of this five year project, trees from the community-managed nursery will be distributed to each household (starting with single mothers) in the local Muslim community. The trees will be planted and maintained by each farming family, in their own orchards, for their sole benefit. Trees are also distributed in-kind to primary schools in the municipality, as a part of\u00a0Sami\u2019s Project<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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This project, in addition to increasing household incomes, has created on a local and national level a symbol for Moroccan collaborating among Muslim and Jewish groups to advance sustainable human development. This collaboration is mirrored in\u00a0our cultural projects<\/a>, which promote multicultural history in Essaouira.<\/p>\n

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On January 16th<\/a>, (which falls on the Jewish holiday Tu B’ishvat), the High Atlas Foundation will plant its 1 millionth tree in the 8 provinces where we currently have agricultural projects, simultaneously at noon.\u00a0 In Akraich, we will plant and distribute trees on that day.<\/p>\n

In the following months, we intend to expand the\u00a0project in Akraich<\/a>\u00a0(see attached presentation of our achievements) to four new sites on land lend by the Moroccan Jewish Community of Marrkech (we need financial support to do so). These projects include the transfer of skills to local community members in order to build and manage tree nurseries, and secure organic certification of the produce.<\/p>\n