Given the added value that decentralized renewable energies can bring to Morocco’s contribution to the field of green energy, a pilot project in the Youssoufia province was undertaken with a participatory approach.

The selection of the small, 36-household El Kdirat village in the rural Jnane Bouih commune took into consideration its socio-economic and cultural situation.

With time and energy needed to fully engage community members, beginning with the IMAGINE program of self-discovery and vision-building, the women and men of the village prioritized clean drinking water, a nursery of endemic fruit-bearing trees, and medicinal plants as the path to fulfill the future they sought.

In response, the project has built three wells – two for irrigation and community use and another for Aljoulane School, where students and teachers now have drinking water and toilet access. Solar panels were installed both at the school and within the community, giving a source of clean energy to pump water. A water tower is also being built for the benefit of the entire village.

The new fruit tree nursery is offering an important means of skills- and experience-building for the women of the local cooperative, who have so far planted carob, Argan, pomegranate, almond, and fig saplings and participated in a variety of technical workshops.

As one of the project managers relates, “Building a project in a rural community is difficult, and making it sustainable is even more difficult. A tree nursery project is good for a rural, agriculturally-based community, but the solar pump is the key to success.”