Melodic matting

Oh! For a flight (with a flute) on this magic carpet.

Vivacious lounging

This exquisite carpet is nearly enough to live on, by itself. The shopkeepers urged me to photograph it, as they did the others, and I was delighted to comply.

Sun-drenched spring hiking

Many little villages around Tafraoute can be accessed simply enough, by walking. And what a view. 

Shepherds mind their flocks

Flocks of sheep tended by shepherds - young and old, male and female - were seen around Tafraoute, along with the odd donkey. Today there are pressures on land that is primarily rain-fed, subject to climate change and the needs of a growing population.  A number of aid donors and lenders are investing in agriculture and rural development in Morocco, and some of them have been doing so for decades. The  International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the African Development Bank are two of these.  As part of integrated rural projects, they have assisted levels of government within Morocco in the development of technical extension services. Among these are veterinary services, such as  vaccination and parasite treatments for animals. A 2009 evaluation by IFAD provides some insights. 

Could be better, could be worse

Both the long- and short-stay varieties of tourism are evident in Tafraoute.  At the margins of the village are parking zones for RVs (recreational vehicles) where many European tourists settle for awhile. Others come by motorbike, and these groups stay at the guest houses and hotels. There is some tourist spending in the market, to be sure, but revenues of the Tafraouti shopkeepers and artisans seem a long way from those of the real estate developers. 

Changing times

During a period of great change it may seem to some of us that everything is being lost.  How much more important, then, to bring along our favourite coat, hat, poem and song.

Co-operatives link old with the new

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.