Plant Organic Fruit Trees with African Farmers

The 2016 planting season has most fortunately begun and it will continue through March. Over the next 2 months, the HAF will plant trees with 107 schools in 10 provinces. We will also plant fruit tree nurseries with rural communities, including almond and cherry. In addition, we are working to secure organic certification in a municipality called Adare, for their orchards of almonds. What is exciting about this community is that they did not plant a single pesticide-requiring tree, which makes much simpler the certification process which will be achieved for their 105 tonnes of almonds by the end of the summer. 

The planting season generates its own momentum and opportunities, meaning, that the small window of time that we are afforded to plant creates a sense of urgency and strong desire to build all possible partnerships in order that we plant the maximum possible. Growing trees and herbs is integral and an absolutely essential part of overcoming subsistence agricultural practices, which is at the root of systemic rural poverty. Thus, our hope this planting season and every season is that we and you and all we know will join together to accomplish the growing needs of rural Moroccan people and all people on earth. 

It’s also thrilling to plant with the women’s coop of the Ourika Valley in partnership with Yves Saint Laurent, where the organic herbs that are grown will ultimately be utilized in Yves Saint Laurent. And certainly last but not least, this January 25th, the HAF is signing its commitment to action with the Clinton Global Initiative and together with United States Ambassador, Dwight Bush, Jewish Advisor to the king Andre Azoulay, Mr. Younès Al Bathaoui, Governor of Al Haouz province, as well as members of the Moroccan Jewish community, from Marrakesh and further afield in the Kingdom. As signatories we will distribute and plant trees grown in nurseries on land lent in-kind by the Moroccan Jewish community.