International Day of Argania 2025; May 10th.

FORUM: “The Argan Tree conservation.“ International Day of Argania 2025. The theme of the fIfth edition aims to highlight the role of the Argan tree in strengthening sustainable development and environmental conservation efforts. It is also an opportunity to promote efforts that empower communities and rural women through the support and promotion of cooperatives and agricultural organizations. The agro-forestry-pastoral system in Ait Souab-Ait Mansour is a unique region where argan trees have been cultivated for centuries. This system is based on agroforestry practices in dry stone terraces being highly resilient to arid environment, water scarcity and poor soils. It uses only locally adapted species and pastoralism activities and relies on a traditional water management provided by the Matifiya - a rain water reservoir carved into rock. The Amazigh indigenous communities as well as communities of Arab origin have developed a specific culture and identity sharing their traditional knowledge and skills. Although farmers earn the majority of their income from the cultivation of argan trees, the integrated system also provides them with other food and material such as staple crops, cereals, fire wood, meat and wool. Let’s develop the cultivation of these endemic species. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #argania, #sdg15, #sdg2, #sdg13, #sustainablepractices,#argantrees, #internationaldayofargania, #climatemitigation.

EVENTS: On May 10th; the High Level Event to mark the International Day of Argania 2025 will be live from Essaouira, Morocco from 3:30 PM to 4:15PM GMT (Morocco Time) and from 10:30 AM to 11:15AM GMT (New York Time). This celebration crowns the efforts of the Kingdom of Morocco to promote the Argan tree as a pillar of a rich heritage and an ancestral source of resilient and sustainable development. The Objectives aims to:

• Promote greater understanding of the argan ecosystem and species response to climate change and their potential role in mitigation and adaptation.
• Highlight the importance of its preservation, this serves as a cornerstone for cultivating sustainable practices that enhance the long-term well-being of both the environment and the communities dependent on the argan tree.
• Promote the adoption of biodiversity preservation and climate change mitigation policies that integrate the protection of the argan tree.
• Strengthening international partnerships and promoting cooperation to support initiatives for the conservation of the argan forest.

Argan tree cultivation in Morocco as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). This recognition acknowledges the unique agro-sylvo-pastoral system where argan trees thrive, along with the resilient ecosystems and cultural heritage they support. The FAO also highlights the argan tree's role in supporting the livelihoods of local communities and its potential for sustainable development.