The months before I ended my service in the Peace Corps I thought, "Savor everything. This is a time and a place that won't be the same." That is not entirely true. Sure I may never feel the excitement and fear that I did when I first came to Morocco. It seems my senses were so heightened to every sight and smell at that time. However, on my first day being picked up by a friend at the airport after dozing off in the car I woke up and knew that Taza was close and that soon I would be home. This time around it only took me a few days to adjust and most of that I attribute to jet lag.
I wanted to come back to Morocco after 2 years of being back in the US. I was finally ready. It took that long to account for all the lessons learned, get to know the person I had grown into, and start my studies at the University of California, Davis. During my time as a volunteer my primary project was working with the community of Sidi Majbeur to become more resilient to climate change.
This experience was a rollercoaster: starting off very promising, then falling flat on its face, to then be revived with the help of the UNDP, and then when I left the project fell flat again. It seems very fitting that I am now back as a graduate student in International Agricultural Development. We constantly look at any proposed action from multiple perspectives. I felt that I would be missing out on the bigger picture if I didn't come back and see what people had adopted and why.
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| Talking to lady I know from my village who is selling eggs to pay for tetanus shot - I bought 10 eggs from her |
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| Returning to Sidi Majbeur, not much has changed |
This experience was a rollercoaster: starting off very promising, then falling flat on its face, to then be revived with the help of the UNDP, and then when I left the project fell flat again. It seems very fitting that I am now back as a graduate student in International Agricultural Development. We constantly look at any proposed action from multiple perspectives. I felt that I would be missing out on the bigger picture if I didn't come back and see what people had adopted and why.
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| Aziz talking to men selling peas. The proposed market is across the street where people are picnicking |
Turns out life goes on and the people in my village are very happy to see me, and I them. Certainly, my classes in economics will help tremendously going forward. One of my objectives for coming here is to take an idea that had been proposed to me by several people in my village. Market access is problematic in this area, however, within walking distance is a beautiful, shaded picnic area that would serve as an ideal location for a farmers' market. My former counterpart Aziz with the Ministry of Water and Forestry agrees. Today was a souq day and we visited several sites to talk to buyers and sellers.
Currently, people are using the proposed new location and this is where we really dug into what will be needed to make this a success. Everyone seemed very excited about the potential for this project. The key to really generating income for all sellers (women, men, youth, disabled, elderly) will be to diversify goods sold, to protect the good "country product" name, and above all promote this site to those living in nearby Taza.
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| Aziz and I enjoying the view from Cave Frioutto, a tourist attraction that draws people up the mountain and into Tazekka National Park |
Tourists often come from Taza to escape the heat and let their kids play in the park. The biggest roadblock for sellers is that visitors bring food with them from the city because they think they cannot get what they need up the mountain. Armed with all this information, this week Aziz and I will present to the provincial and communal authorities who will be able to put the suggestions of the entrepreneurs and tourists into action!
Laurel Sellers, graduate student, International Agricultural Development, UC Davis
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