Alternative paths to commercialising medicinal and aromatic plants in a community of the High Atlas mountains, Morocco

This study looks at alternative paths to commercialising aromatic and medicinal plants of a community in the High Atlas Mountains. As the demand for phytotherapies and other herbal medicines increases so is the pressure on natural resources and traditional cultures. This raises major issues of sustainability, conservation of plant resources and welfare of communities. The integration of strong partnerships with local, national and international institutions could alter this situation, enabling natural resources to be developed into financial assets. The research looks at the current trade in aromatic plants through existing commodity chains that links plant collectors to markets, national and international. It investigates the role of middlemen and intermediaries and their interventions in the commodity chain. It investigates the potential of the distillation of essential oil as an added value to the livelihood of the local communities. The study highlights that there is a market demand, especially for Thyme and Lavender. Two commodity chains are currently in place, an official one which operates under land concession and an informal one which operates without regulatory status. The informal commodity chain reveals strong socio-economic disparities and a financial situation encapsulated in a network of middlemen and intermediaries. Other factors affecting the socio-instability of the site is the lack of security over land tenure and a lack of political representation and empowerment of the local population. The sustainability of the natural resources needs to be closely scrutinised as the harvesting is done in the wild or in a spontaneous manner. The valley however, abounds in medicinal and aromatic plants and people are aware of the potential of turning natural resources into financial assets in the face of a growing demand. Although the involvement with outsiders might take away responsibilities and power from a local level, it is a necessary step as local capacity is inefficient to deal with the complexities of revenues generated by community-based enterprise. I argue that working in partnerships with local, national and international institutions is a prerequisite, keeping in focus the empowerment of local actors who represent the building blocks of community organisation and collective action.