Argan Nursery and Forest in Essaouira, Morocco

The High Atlas Foundation, with university partners, conducted a study that examined the impact of implementing fruit tree agriculture following the empowerment workshops, and the impact of planting trees with farming communities simply based on their request for certain varieties and quantities of trees but without preceding their implementation with empowerment activities. 

We found that when we plant trees following women’s empowerment experiences, not only do we observe increases in household income and food security, but we also identify increases in women’s literacy and girls' participation in education.

However, we did not observe these additional benefits of literacy and education when we planted trees with farming families based on their requests even as we monitored the same level of survival rates of the trees. The data suggests that empowerment combined with fruit tree agriculture enhances the lives of everyone in the farming community whereas agricultural development without gender empowerment can actually stratify gender-based inequality even further. 

Since 80% of rural incomes are derived from the agricultural sector, this proposed program underscores a necessary model in order for new revenue to not be concentrated among the male heads of households but actually be shared and generate broad based opportunities with everyone.