In many parts of Morocco, such as rural villages in the southwest of the country, the challenges of poverty remain steep. Obstacles include low literacy rates, at less than 50%, inaccessibility to electricity, scarce and unclean water, and the high costs of transport of goods and services, to name just four. To address these problems, the co-operative has become a favoured organizational form in Morocco.
Co-operatives are supported by the Government of Morocco and aid agencies. Outcomes can take many forms, for example: more efficient production of agricultural goods to permit food production beyond subsistence and income generation; hiring teachers to improve educational attainment levels; and improving womens' income prospects and skills to provide some independence from the confines of traditional work in the home. An informative video by young development workers will give you many more details (~18 min, 2 commercials to begin).
The villages around Tafraoute are comparatively wealthy due to tourism, and the remittances from husbands who are often away working elsewhere. The wives are almost certainly reliant on this support for forming their agricultural co-operative, which has been instrumental for the processing of argan oil, according one shopkeeper I spoke to - a young wife.
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