Argan nuts

We had a day out today, first visiting a women's co-operative producing argan oil.  This is a highly labour intensive job.  The argan trees are spread around the countryside.  They are extremely thorny, though this does not put off the camels and goats - particularly the goats which actually climb up into the trees, causing considerable damage.

The argan trees used to be more widespread, and the area quite closely forested, but of course this area, like so many others in the world, has been affected by overuse.  Too many trees have been cut down, partly for their wood, which is very hard, so good for construction and burning, and partly to clear the land for crops.   The trees are very slow growing - it takes 15 years or so before they start producing nuts.  The nuts are collected after they have fallen off - the trees are too thorny to be harvested.

An outer husk is removed, which is used as animal food.  Then the inner shell has to be broken - it's pretty hard, and the women just use a stone.  A skilled worker can produce perhaps 1kg of these kernels a day.  Apparently attempts at mechanising the job have so far failed.  We were encouraged to have a go - the basket in the picture contains the results of W's output over about half an hour.  All I managed to produce was a bruised finger!  I've put in an extra of one of the women wielding the stone, but it's impossible to get across how skilfully she was cracking the nuts.

The rest of the production has been mechanised - pressing the kernels to obtain the oil, and filtering it.

After visiting the cooperative, we had a lovely walk through the palm grove, and a visit to a local beekeeping outfit.