Fez — The morning began without noise. No sticks, no shaking, no damage to branches. Instead, a line of growers moved slowly with rake combs, easing olives off eight-year-old trees planted at six meters by six meters. The spacing works out to about 277 trees per hectare, a medium density that keeps light and air moving through the canopy. The plot is rainfed, with supplemental irrigation during the hottest weeks of summer.
“We use a modern harvesting method, there is no shaking or beating of the branches,” farmer Ahmed Essoheimi told MWN. “The rake comb makes picking easier and protects the wood that will carry fruit next year.”
The site is one of Al Moutmir’s olive demonstration plots in the province. The program supports a full technical itinerary over twelve months and invites neighbors to observe results in real time. “This demonstration plot is an open school for agronomy students and nearby farmers,” agronomist Ayoub Mouallem said to MWN. “We share what we do, why we do it, and how it pays back in tree health and consistent yields.”
The itinerary starts as soon as the previous harvest ends. Trees get a planned rest, then a winter health check. “Winter treatments against fungal diseases are essential,” Mouallem explained. The team follows with soil analysis so nutrition fits the parcel rather than a generic recipe. Recommendations combine deep fertilization, a surface top-dress, targeted nitrogen, and foliar sprays that deliver micro and meso nutrients. “In olives, boron and zinc are very important,” he said. “We correct those early to set up bloom and fruit set.”
On the day of the visit, the last step in the cycle took center stage. Abderrahman El-Ouzzani Touhami, an agricultural engineer with Al Moutmir, used the harvest to reinforce safe practice. “We encourage simple, affordable tools so farmers harvest properly without injuring the branches that will carry next year’s crop,” he stated. “The old stick method wounds trees and should be left behind.”
The advice travels with clear economics. This season’s crop is strong. “As for yields, thank God, this year is close to 2018,” Essoheimi said to MWN. “The crop is abundant.” Market prices have softened, though. “Prices are about one third lower this year than last year,” he added. For farmers, that gap makes loss-prevention on the tree more urgent. Each cut branch means less fruit in the next cycle. A gentle harvest protects future income.
The plot manages to show the whole chain of decision making. Spacing at six by six meters limits competition, reduces disease pressure, and makes machine access possible. Pruning keeps the canopy balanced. Irrigation is held in reserve for heat spikes, not as a routine. “The orchard is bouri, rainfed, but the climate forces us to add water in summer when temperatures climb,” El-Ouzzani Touhami said. “It is a small, timely dose to keep trees from shutting down.”
Beyond the rows, the day had a wider goal. The agronomists stressed that science only matters if it can be adopted by small farms at scale. The tools used on site were deliberately simple. The message was practical. “We start with analysis, we keep the plan simple, and we measure results,” Mouallem stated. “When neighbors see healthier trees and cleaner fruit, they copy the practice. That is the point of a demo plot.”
Background: What is Al Moutmir
Al Moutmir is OCP Group’s farmer-centric advisory program. It launched in 2018 with scientific backing from Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P). The initiative’s goal is to raise yields, improve soil health, and spread climate-smart practices among smallholders. It does this through free itinerant services, mobile soil labs, on-farm demonstration platforms, and a set of digital tools that make tailored advice easy to access.
Read also: Al Moutmir Program Shows Strong Results for Cereals, Pulses in Morocco
The model links diagnostic work to action in the field. Mobile teams run soil tests and issue plot-specific fertilization plans. The program’s platforms of demonstration compare farmer practice to optimized practice side by side, so growers can see differences in vigor, disease, and yield with their own eyes. Al Moutmir also supports conservation agriculture. Its direct seeding activities help farmers save water, cut fuel use, and protect soil structure in cereals and pulses.
Digital services extend that reach. The @tmar app offers weather, market info, a profitability simulator, and crop-by-crop recommendations, including an AI plant-health assistant. The program’s knowledge hub, Agripedia, aggregates videos and crop guides in an open format. Al Moutmir runs inclusion efforts for women and youth through training, cooperative support, and market tools that connect producers to buyers.
Al Moutmir works alongside public partners. It coordinates with the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Office of Agricultural Advisory (ONCA), and public research bodies such as INRA. The program fits within Morocco’s Green Generation strategy and backs national goals to modernize advisory services, expand precision nutrition, and promote water-saving practices.
Looking ahead
On the Aajajra plot, the lesson was simple. Start with diagnostics. Feed the soil and the canopy with what they need. Harvest without harm. “We are here to finish the work we began at the start of the year,” El-Ouzzani Touhami told MWN. “Follow the itinerary, protect the tree, and next year will thank you.”
Essoheimi agreed. He looked across bins filled with clean fruit. “This approach keeps the trees healthy and the crop steady,” he said. “We will keep using it.”