My Nonprofit Reviews

The Moroccan New Development Model – Promises Fall Short
By: Abby Lohmeyer, Fall 2021 HAF Volunteer

The High Atlas Foundation is committed to furthering sustainable development. As an intern, I have experienced first-hand their dedication to this mission. Community beneficiaries determine and manage sustainable agriculture, education, women’s and youth empowerment, health, and capacity building. I spent the past three months analyzing the new development model for Morocco, in hopes that I would find a connection to further the HAF’s impact and hope for a better Morocco supported by its government.

The purpose of this document is to “release energies and regain trust to accelerate the march of progress and prosperity for all.” At first, I truly believed that the new model would do these things. It is very positive and encouraging that the new model recognizes the magnificent environmental richness and social symbol that Morocco bears. There is a wealth of opportunity in Morocco for food production with all of the distinct biozones. Socially, Morocco includes people of different ethnicities, languages, and differences. This gives opportunity for a harmonious, diverse, and solidarity life in Morocco is possible.

The beginning of the NDM starts off strong, powerful, and hopeful. It clearly acknowledges that it wants to give voice to honest public expression. It is surprising and reassuring to read the reality of Moroccan lives in a government document. Voices of the people who endure so much daily are now written, published, and available for every policy maker and person of power in the country.

With this being said, there is an innate difference between the intent of the document and the reality for sustainable change. There are words that speak of these great ideas of the future for the Moroccan people, but no actionable items. Nowhere in the NDM does it speak of how people from all sectors will be trained on how to catalyze and facilitate these processes. There is no way to require people’s participation in development while at the same time not giving experiential training.

A question one might ask is what is the importance of sustainable agriculture in Morocco? It is incredibly important, and tree planting in Morocco has the ability to do more than just give environmental and health benefits, but there is also the opportunity to bring communities together. Nurseries managed for the benefit of its people are generally nonexistent.

The further that I read through the NDM, the more I recognized its flaws and methodical wording. There is no direct recognition of the severity of inequality and the structural burden this holds, or to the extent that the urban rural divide impacts essential life conditions. The new model looks at sustainable issues from a macro level, rather than integrating community involvement from the start. Without a direct partnership with the Moroccan ministry of environment to local communities and civil organizations, sustainable change cannot move forward.

The model has a grand idea to bring together smaller organizations to enact sustainable development, but it leaves out a key element: most smaller organizations lack the initial financial investment to grow and succeed in the first place. It is sad to see that there is so much potential, yet so little aid given to Moroccan communities. The special report states that Morocco is lacking in technological innovation, but is this really the issue at hand? New innovation is not essential to solving systemic poverty. What rural areas need is basic water infrastructure and financial support to local members who are smart and willing to be the forefront of change in the area of sustainable development.

The High Atlas Foundation has a special interest in the new model. Not only does every employee want what’s best for the Moroccan citizens, but the nation’s determination to development could assist the HAF in grants and more. If regional councils were to partner with civil societies as the NDM suggests, it could make for broader partnerships across Morocco. There is currently no institution of the state with a responsibility to assist partnership building between agencies of the state and civil society business across all societal sectors. If there is one thing that I have learned from the HAF, it is that teamwork is the key to greatness. Yossef Ben-Meir, the president and co-founder of the High Atlas Foundation, stressed that there can be no tree planting without every person of their team involved. There are those who find the land, the financial advisors, those who plant the tree, the monitors and evaluators. If it takes such a grand team to make the HAF into the incredibly impactful organization that it is, then why not extend this team to the Moroccan government? If the New Development Model aims to not fall short on its promise to “accelerate the march of progress and prosperity for all” and really partner with local communities for sustainable development issues, then I foresee great things for the future of Morocco and the High Atlas Foundation.