morocco again52 from agadir to essaouira1
TRANSCRIPT
5252
2 h 43 min (163 km) N1
This five-hundred kilometre stretch of Atlantic coastline takes in Morocco’s urban heartland and accounts for close to a fifth of the country’s total population. It’s an astonishingly recent growth along what was, until the French Protectorate, a neglected strip of coast. The region is dominated by the administrative capital, Rabat; and the commercial capital Casablanca.To south you’ll encounter some coastal resorts, including El Jadida, Oualidia and Essaouira, the most Europeanized part of Morocco. Along the coast are a large number of beaches, but this being the Atlantic rather than the Mediterranean, tides and currents can be strong. Surfing is a popular sport along the coast and Essaouira is Morocco’s prime resort for windsurfing
N1 is an important
highway running along the western Atlantic coast of
the country
N1 is the longest national
motorway in the country
The long Atlantic coast line is
renowned for its picturesque point
breaks and “perfect rights” — waves that curl to
the right
Cap Ghir is a cape in Morocco and is nearby to Asqaylf and Agayou Ouroumi
Fruit and vegetable market
in Tamri
The commune Tamri had a total population of 17442 people living in 2927 households
Tamri is located at the mouth of a ‘oued’ irrigating banana plantations
Grown almost exclusively
in Morocco the Argania is a rare
and protected species after years of over-farming and
clear-cutting. The tree produces
an annual fruit crop, and it is this
delicious morsel that attracts legions of local goats who
hop up into the branches to pick
out the fruit.
In Morocco, arganeraie forests now cover some
8,280 km² and are designated as a
UNESCO biosphere reserve
Argania trees and the goats on the way between Agadir and Essaouira
Local farmers condone and even cultivate this bizarre feeding practice, keeping the goats away from the trees while the fruit matures and releasing them at the right time. There is also a secondary benefit to the goats’ habits which is found in their poop. After the goats finish eating the fruit and nuts off the tree, they pass valuable clumps of seeds which are then pressed to create the sought-after Argan oil.Unfortunately, since the tree goats can be quite profitable for their owners, more and more of them have been brought into the area, causing a general decline in the health of the remaining Argania trees
Argan fruit
The fruit of the argan tree is
small, and round, oval, or conical. A thick peel covers the fleshy pulp.
The pulp surrounds a hard-shelled nut that
represents about 25% of the weight of the fresh fruit.The nut contains one to three oil-
rich argan kernels.
Extraction yields from 30% to 50%
of the oil in the kernels,
depending on the extraction method
Argan Nuts the dried fruit and the nuts
Extraction is key to the production
process. To extract the
kernels, workers first dry argan
fruit in the open air and then
remove the fleshy pulp. Some producers
remove the flesh mechanically
without drying the fruit. Moroccans usually use the flesh as animal
feed
Argan Nuts the dried fruit (left), the nuts (centre) and the kernels (right)
The argan tree provides food,
shelter and protection from desertification. The trees' deep
roots help prevent desert encroachment. The canopy of
argan trees also provides shade
for other agricultural
products, and the leaves and fruit provide feed for
animalsThe argan tree
also helps landscape
stability, helping to prevent soil
erosion, providing shade for pasture
grasses, and helping to
replenish aquifers
Producing argan oil has helped to protect argan trees from being cut down. In addition, regeneration of the Arganeraie has also been carried out: in 2009 an operation to plant 4,300 argan plants was launched in Meskala in the province of Essaouira.The downside to this economic boon is that it leads to families buying more tree-climbing goats, which can be very bad for Morocco’s argan forests. As households benefit economically, they often purchase more goats. Goats are the primary threat to the argan forests because they climb the trees to graze their leaves
The quince (Cydonia oblonga)
Lamp in the restaurant
Sound: Hamid Zahir - Lalla Fatima
2017
Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Sanda Negruțiu Internet 46-51 Copyright: All the images belong to their author
Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela