Plant Organic Fruit Trees with African Farmers

Dear Friend,

The year’s end gives us moments to account for the journey that has been, and time to invigorate ourselves to achieve the goals ahead.

For us at the High Atlas Foundation, New Year’s Day is in the early throes of the tree planting season. Farming families in Morocco have agricultural dreams. Let our new year begin with assisting them to achieve their optimal season. 

More than 15 months after the earthquake in the High Atlas Mountains, we can look back and admire so much the communities’ rebuilding achievements.

We also look forward to giving all we can to psychosocial healing and building new water systems, mountain terraces for planting, women’s businesses, and family literacy programs.  

Projects that preserve and share the Moroccan cultural heritage of diversity are driven by the people of the country and are a global inspiration.

The High Atlas Foundation and Moroccan partners pursue these actions as gateways for local and national sustainable development.

Families had unimaginable loss this year, and soul-felt memories. Jamie Fico’s life paralleled many of ours, as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) and a researcher and writer on sustainable development–all for Morocco.

With her family’s wish and community’s hope, we are planting endemically with her in our hearts. We think of the late Sami El Kouhen and his loving parents, and the memory of RPCV Kate Jeans-Gail and her late parents–and rededicate ourselves to their communities’ dreams.

As we draw down and rise anew, the pursuit of people’s participation in their own development in Morocco is the one constant.

Growing trees is the rising tide that lifts all ships. Empowerment lifts the now and future. Partnerships spread the sustainable movement far and wider still.

Morocco makes it all possible. Your involvement achieves the potential. Please consider giving, with our enormous thanks.

Yours faithfully,

The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) has achieved widespread success in its work to promote sustainable planting of endemic tree varieties in the oriental Oujda region of Morocco.

HAF’s agricultural initiatives supply farmers with trees and plants, supporting the transition to more resilient, diversified food systems and economies.

HAF has now expanded its impact by offering a carbon offset credit program for farmers across the country.

Since the start of 2024 and across seven provinces and 22 villages and communes, HAF has worked with 229 farmers to plant a total of 196,887 trees of varying species.

The majority of these trees have been olive (172,960) but also importantly include almond, carob, fig, and pomegranate varieties.

Providing native trees like these while simultaneously supporting capacity-building for growing, harvesting, processing, and selling of products is a powerful way to support larger sustainable agricultural development.

In addition to distribution of trees, monitoring of planted trees has been essential for success. HAF has monitored 192,312 trees planted with farmers; this includes 136,396 trees for carbon offset credits under 92 participant agreements signed with farmers.

Carbon markets offer a revolutionary opportunity for many farming families to expand their economic options beyond typical agricultural production while strengthening environmental stewardship.

Building off of the success seen in 2024 with distribution and monitoring of trees in this region, HAF is implementing this program across the country - in all 12 regions of Morocco - to make the benefits of sustainable agriculture and carbon credits accessible to small landholder farming families.