By Yossef Ben-Meir | President of High Atlas Foundation
Every planting season has its own life story. We are at that time of the year when it has just concluded.
This year, as every year, we gave it all the energy and resources that we could muster. Here are the incredible results and our deepest hopes for the future.
In the past 12 weeks we planted more than one million fruit seeds and saplings in twelve community nurseries and with 120 schools, in 15 provinces of Morocco.
It took us eleven years to plant our first million in the Kingdom, and now we have accomplished the same in almost as many weeks.
This is our seventh record breaking year in a row. During this 2016 season we planted more than three times the amount we did in 2015. As the trees mature, 50,000 people will benefit from the income, food security, and robust environment.
The nurseries are made possible by the grants of land for 5-10 years from public schools, the High Commission of Waters and Forests, cooperatives, municipalities, associations, and the Moroccan Jewish Community. We are grateful for our partnerships to end rural poverty.
Planting seasons are not just about seeds, soil, and water – they are also about seizing opportunities and using the momentum and finite time frame to generate greater support. The coming together of people is the storyline that marks each season unique, each with its trials, each a redemption.
We would like to have planted many times more than we did.
We would like to take to scale the model that would deliver one billion trees and plants to the nation.
We would like to expand to new places the agricultural value-chain that would certify the people’s product as organic and process and sell it in Morocco and other countries.
We would like to reach further, touch more, enable more dreams to come true.
We have a dream to plant far and wide, in all places, and with all people that say ‘Yes, that is the future we want.’
The end of a planting season at the High Atlas Foundation and for most every farmer is already filled with thoughts of next year.
We pledge this true and heartfelt creed that no soul will be denied trees and the everlasting goods that they yield.
Happy End to the 2016 tree planting season, Happy Beginning for every season, united in purpose.
Yours sincerely,
The High Atlas Foundation
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