FERMA

Resilient Women in the Middle Atlas

Project Summary

Through an integrated approach to forest ecosystem management, the Resilient Women in the Middle Atlas (FERMA) project, implemented by Socodevi, operates in the Khenifra National Park region in Morocco. It supports 25 women’s co-operatives to strengthen their resilience to climate change and promote sustainable local development.

Objectives

  • Strengthen women’s climate adaptation capacity—especially young women—and that of their communities
  • Promote nature-based solutions, including the restoration and conservation of cedar forest biodiversity
  • Increase the economic and social benefits associated with ecosystem conservation
  • Improve inclusive and equitable governance within local organizations

Results and impact

  • 2024-2025 : 
    • 204 women, including 64 young women, participated in a feminist climate and environmental leadership program
    • 23 women’s co-operatives received personalized support, based on organizational diagnostics carried out using our PerformCoop approach and annual action plans
    • Two multi-stakeholder workshops brought together 143 participants to co-create the Khenifra National Park Management and Development Plan
    • An environmental education program raised awareness among 479 people, including 205 children, about forest ecosystem protection

Testimonials

“The forest used to be a rich source of everything we needed. We did not have to look elsewhere for food—for ourselves or for our livestock. We collected firewood, hunted, and fished in the streams. Although this wealth is no longer what it once was, the forest will always be our home.


Over time, our behavior toward the forest and its resources has changed. In the past, we harvested aromatic and medicinal plants by cutting the roots. Today, we have adjusted our practices: we harvest responsibly, taking only what we need and taking care to preserve natural resources. We’ve also developed better habits for managing water.


Thanks to the FERMA project, we have benefited from very useful training. We have learned how to apply good practices to preserve our resources.”

  • Ms. Zahboune Fadma
    President of the MERDHEL AMANE co-operative

“I warmly thank ANEF and the FERMA Project for organizing this exchange visit, and I also thank the co-operatives that gave us the opportunity to learn from their experiences and see their work up close. This visit really motivated and encouraged us, because we saw the difficult and complex conditions these co-operatives face—but that did not stop them from achieving their goals. We understood how crucial it is to believe in our project and fight to make it a reality.”

  • MIFTAHI Hayat
    Aadjib co-operative

Partners

  • Agence nationale des Eaux et Forêts du Maroc (ANEF)   
  • OSTROM Climate Solution  
  • International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)  
  • Union internationale pour la conservation de la nature (UICN)  
  • Fédération des ligues des droits des femmes (FLDF) 
  • Living Planet Morocco 
  • Fondation du Haut Atlas (HAF) 
  • Association de la réserve de biosphère du Cèdre d’Atlas (ARBCA) 
  • Association des enseignants des sciences de la vie et de la Terre (AESVT) 
  • Entreprise Sociale au Maroc (ES Maroc) 
  • Association d’écotourisme Alpe Atlas

Media gallery