Blog #10 Agronomic Research Center Visit
Regional agronomic research center in Agadir
Today we woke early and had breakfast in the hotel as usual. Boiled eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, a delicious croissant au chocolat, yogurt, olives, and coffee. I always enjoy this pleasant breakfast as it prepares me for the long day ahead. Also, the privilege of having breakfast prepared for me daily is one that I am very grateful for - it gives me time to sleep in and to snooze the chirping alarm clock over and over again…
8:30am: The van came to pick us up from the hotel and we were on our way to la Centre Regional de la Recherche Agronomique D’Agadir, about an hour and a half drive out of Agadir to Inezgane, a town famous for its tajine.
Upon arrival we were greeted by Professor Rachid Bouharroud, an accomplished PhD and director of INRA. We spent Monday afternoon with him at his offices in Agadir discussing the environmental and ecological challenges that the argan tree faces in the Souss-Massa region. These challenges include pesticides and water, as well as pathogens, predators, and parasites. The institute conducts research on cacti, argan, citrus fruit, moringa, saffron, medicinal herbs, and stevia (and many others I presume). The INRA was created in 1914 and has 10 regional centers throughout the region, and the Sous-Messa region produces 80% of the agricultural crops that are exported from Morocco and is thus extremely important to the economic development and growth of the nation.
For our purposes, we are focusing on argan trees. The argan tree is a resistant and recalcitrant species found only in southern Morocco, and it requires heterogeneity in its biodome to flourish. It is difficult to multiply, but the INRA has successfully identified and grafted 6 varieties of the argan tree on their premises. Until 2015, there was no talk of the argan tree family or its predecessors, and the center has been integral in the advancement of methodological and empirical approaches to the production of argan. If the center can successfully breed the argan trees, they will improve the yield of all six varieties and produce more oil for the region, as well as decimate the knowledge to farmers who can use the findings to (eventually) sustainably farm argan trees themselves.
The argan tree is pollinated by insects and by wind, but 80% of the pollination is done by the insects themselves. Out of the 11 pollinators that frequent the argan tree, the number 1 pollinator is the domestic bee (even more reason to save the bees)! The argan tree has the memory of its tropical environmental past, and its roots stretch deep below the surface to locate water sources, thus supplying itself with nourishment from the ground. This concept of memory is especially pertinent to my studies of environmental identity and place-based knowledge, and will be useful in the coming weeks as we pursue our ethnographic exploration of argan and the people that produce it.
Crossbreeding of argan trees is an important practice, as it increases diversity in the species and grafted trees may be more resilient to changing climate, pesticides, and disease. The center has identified 50 weeds associated with argan trees and seeks to discover what types of plants are directly associated with the development of argan trees in the forests. The trees fruit biannually, as they take a rest between fruiting seasons. [Do argan producers know which trees will fruit annually and which will have a rest?] The argan tree is unique, as its physiology is not common amongst the flora of Morocco - nor the flora of the world. It flowers and fruits simultaneously, and its roots can stretch to 30 meters deep.
What is the importance of argan for the culture of Morocco? According to Dr. Bouharroud, argan is a significantly lucrative product for the nation and its economic value cannot be overestimated. The argan tree is also culturally important for the region, as it holds symbolic and tangible value for those that produce and consume argan oil. The argan tree is also useful to pastoralists whose goats graze on the fruits of the tree, producing meat that is highly valued. Cultural issues pertaining to the proliferation of the argan tree include overgrazing of domestic animals, the abandonment of traditional argan production techniques, and local conflicts with Saharan transhuman tribes that have historically used the argan territory which exacerbate ethnic/intertribal issues of power and the contestation of land rights.
During our visit to the research center, we saw argan trees in multiple stages of breeding – from seedlings to fledgling adolescents to flourishing adults. The research center stretched over 75 hectares of sandy soil housing citrus trees, cacti, stevia, and of course, argan trees. The weather was perfect for our sojourn through the center: overcast with infrequent rain drops and a gusty wind that made our walk quite comfortable. We visited the greenhouses where the research team aims to study the amount of shade preferred by budding argan trees, and the glass green houses where they perform the grafting technique for propagation. We concluded our day with mint tea and fresh squeezed orange juice (as a Florida native I appreciated this immensely and would even say Moroccan oranges taste better than Florida oranges) in a grassy garden surrounded by hibiscus and shade trees. We snacked on dates and nuts and chatted about our experiences of the day.
This experience allowed me to view the argan tree from an ecological and biological perspective, which differs significantly from the anthropological perspective of which I am accustomed to seeing the world. I thank Dr. Bouharroud and his team for giving their time and sharing their expertise with us. Their research is truly remarkable, and I learned a substantial amount about the systematic approach to experimentation with argan for a more fruitful future.
Questions I have so far (that are clearly anthropological in scope): Is there a symbiotic relationship between argan and the Amazigh people? What constitutes Amazigh attachment to the argan tree? What are the historical, cultural, and ecological connections between Amazigh people and the argan tree? What role does argan have in the collective memory of the Amazigh? Why don’t communities have access to dead argan trees/what does the national forest industry do with the dead trees?
Stay tuned to see what knowledge and lessons the peoples and communities of this region may bless us with (inshallah).
- Written by Jess Vinson
