Argan
Many skin and hair care products contain argan oil, produced from the seed of the argan tree by Indigenous female cooperatives. The argan tree forms the basis of a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System in Morocco, the only place it is produced.
Names
Argan, Sideroxylon spinosum
Found in ingredients as
Argan oil, Moroccan oil
Used in
Source of harvest
Top producers
Morocco
Conservation status
IUCN Red List:
CITES:
Not listed
Opportunities
Argan oil
Conservation & restoration
The argan forests are of such importance, both historically and ecologically, that they have been recognised by the FAO as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System. Through taking action to protect, and responsibly harvest from argan trees, there is the opportunity to protect a much wider network of unique species within the argan ecosystems – over 1000 plants with agronomic, medicinal, aromatic and melliferous value.
Partnerships & Associations
The following initiatives can be partnered with on responsible sourcing efforts:
The Project for Market Access of Products of Terroir (PAMPAT) aims to improve quality, market access, and socio-economic conditions of workers.
There are examples of well-executed female cooperatives that have been successful in protecting Argan trees and uplifting local communities. The Union of Women's Cooperatives of the Arganeraia (UCFA) is one of the significant producer cooperatives in the region and ensures sustainable and fair use of the resource while offering fair working conditions to the women: http://www.cooperative-argane.com/ucfa/
Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)
The argan tree fruit is heavily exploited by a hundred women's cooperatives and foreign companies based in Morocco, yet the argan ecosystem receives few benefits arising from the use of its products. Under ABS measures put in place following the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity and the 2010 Nagoya Protocol, companies must receive prior informed consent for the use of traditional knowledge and resources, must negotiate agreements with “mutually agreed terms”, and must equitably share benefits with indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs).
Biological Risk
The species is assessed as Vulnerable in Morocco.
It is slow-growing and long-living (typically 200-250 years with some believed to be over 400 years old), and therefore has a long regeneration time.
Argan has multiple uses, including internationally in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries, and domestically as food for livestock, environmentally to create shade and prevent soil erosion, as food in oil format, and as medicine.
It is facing multiple threats, including:
a reduction in habitat area and quality
overharvest of wood, including historic production of charcoal which was made illegal from 2000, and of fruit for oil production
increasing use of water sources for cultivation, along with increasing temperatures and drought as a result of climate change.
Social Risk
Assessed for
Morocco
There are reports of child labour in argan harvesting and planting.
Women from indigenous Amazigh communities typically engage in harvesting, groups which are more vulnerable to potential discrimination and/or harsh treatment because of their marginalised status – there have been documented cases of poor working conditions and intermittent pay within female cooperatives.