Field Trip: Chefchaouen

This week I visited the town of Chefchaouen, about two hours south of Tangier, Morocco. Once we got out of the large urban center, the landscape turned into mountainous farm country. Both sides of the road were dotted with small farms, most characterized by a one-family home situated on a plot of land with some crops and some grazing animals.

Crops

I saw four predominant crops: olives, hay, corn, and onions. The olive orchards were extensive, stretching across wide hillsides. Hay – some type of wheat-like grass, I wasn’t sure exactly what it was – was grown on most of the farms, in relatively small fields. Corn, too, was grown in relatively small fields on some farms, not in the type of endless expanse we see in the Midwest. Similarly, onions were being grown on small-scale farms, some in plots as small as 20x30 feet. Other crops that I did not see growing in fields but were particularly prominent in local markets were cherries, small plums, and figs.

I saw a lot of hay being harvested during the drives to and from Chefchaouen, and my friend explained why: in November, there is a festival called Eid Al-Kabir in which nearly every household slaughters a ram. With just four months to go, everyone is trying to fatten up their sheep as much as possible, thus the need for lots of hay.

Animals for Food and Transport

Animals are an important part of agriculture in Morocco, and most farms I saw had both crops and livestock. I saw sheep, cows, and goats grazing on hillsides and in farm fields alongside crops. Some farms had a herd of just one type of animal, but many had a mixture: one or two cows and small herds of sheep and goats. Many farms had chickens roaming freely as well. All four types of meat are popular in Morocco, especially beef and chicken. Cows are important for milk production, as are chickens for eggs; sheep hides are used for decoration and warmth in homes.

Much of the meat eaten in this area is raised and slaughtered locally. On the way back to Tangier, were stopped at a restaurant in a small town for lunch. There was a butcher shop connected to it, and a young man was in the process of delivering a dozen whole ram carcasses. He wore a white smock and carried them in two by two, slung over his shoulder, while my companions ate roasted mutton and grilled ground beef. I asked the butcher if the sheep were coming from this area. He said yes, from the mountains, and pointed to the slopes visible out the front door of the restaurant.

Animals are not just raised for meat. Nearly every farm I saw had a donkey, and they are even used to transport goods in smaller cities where the streets are too small for motorized vehicles. They carry everything from bundles of hay to propane tanks to crates of orange juice bottles to small children. I also saw donkeys used for threshing grain – three animals tied together were walked in a circle on a large pile of grain stalks.

Mechanization

The majority of the farms I saw were using primarily human and animal labor to harvest grain and other crops. On some farms, men, women and children were harvesting by hand with large knives and piling the grass onto donkeys. On one larger farm, a combine was driving up and down the field harvesting grain. I mostly saw threshing of grain with fuel-powered threshers, but I did see one team of donkeys, too. I saw mechanized hay balers on multiple farms as well. Based on the gernerally low level of mechanization on many farms and the small number of farm machines I saw, I assume that in most cases the farmers do not own the balers or threshers, but hire them when needed. 

Markets in Chefchaouen

I noticed two basic types of produce vendors in the city of Chefchaouen. One type was a vendor offering at least ten types of fruits and vegetables, from a combination of local, regional, and international sources. These included things like peaches and nectarines, bananas, apples, oranges, pears, avocados, tomatoes, and peppers. These types of vendors displayed their produce in crates, and some of the fruit even had stickers on it.

 The second type of vendor was characterized by a smaller selection – one to six types of produce, less inventory, and a specific set of local, seasonal items. This included small green plums, cherries, figs (lots!), cucumbers, zucchini, onions, herbs, milk, and olive oil. 

Vendors rarely sold more than four or five types, and sometimes displayed just one small buckets of figs. They were situated in the narrow streets in the old part of the city, rather than in one of the market plazas, and often sat on blankets on the ground or on small stools.

 

Conclusion

Much of the agriculture in the mountainous region near Tangier takes place on small family farms that have a mixture of crops, especially hay, corn, olives, vegetables, and tree fruits, and livestock, including cows, sheep, and goats. Much of the meat, milk, and fresh produce is consumed locally and varies with the season. Much farm work is done by hand or with the aid of donkeys, although some farms employ machinery for harvesting, baling, and threshing.