Salaam! Azoul! Hello!
We are Abdoul and Youssef and we would like to welcome you to our garden project!
We are two friends who grew up together in Tagounite, near the Sahara desert. For more than 6 years now, Youssef and his family own a garden on the outskirts of the town and I (Abdoul) help them with it. We grow various vegetables, palm trees and food for the camels and goats.
We need your help to maintain the garden. Sometimes there might be some work on the houses, including making mud bricks etc. Youssefs father owns camels and lives as a nomad. In summer the camels sometimes come to the garden for food and water and you can help us take care of them.
We work about three hours a day, depending on what needs to be done each day. Don't worry, if it gets too hot you can always take a break. You will also have plenty of free time where we can teach you how to cook traditional Moroccan dishes, make music and learn about each other's cultures or teach you some Darija.
We are going to start the woofing new, and would love to have you as one of our first helpers. But don't worry, I have spent the last two years helping another friend with his project and have a lot of experience. I love meeting people from all over the world, making music together, laughing and talking and I am looking forward to making new memories here :)
As we are very close to the Sahara, we are also happy to help you organise a trip to the desert if you are interested. Just let us know when you arrive :)
We are staying in a traditional Moroccan mud-brick house. We have electricity from solar panels and hope to install another source of energy in the future. Unfortunately we cannot offer Wifi, but you can find Moroccan sim cards at the airport or in town and it is easy to recharge them.
The town of Tagounite is located in the Draa Valley, famous for its oasis along the river. In recent decades, the climate has changed and water has become an increasingly scarce resource. It rains only about twice a year and the water comming from the mountains of Ouarzazate is regulated by a dam. This is having a major impact on the oasis's systems. Please be mindful about your water use when you are here. We are very lucky to have a well that provides us with a reliable source of water for our garden. You will be very happy about our water resorvouir where you can also go for a swim and cool down from the warm temperatures.
Talking about temperatures. In summer it can get quite hot, while in the winter nights we sometimes make a fire to keep us warm.
The garden is a quiet and relaxing place. Bring a book or something to draw to entertain yourself. We also like to play games and make music together. I (Abdoul) am a musician and have a band. We play concerts all over Morocco and have been to countries in Europe, Canada and Russia. A few times a year there are festivals in Mhamid (the nearest town) where you can come and see us and other bands play and dance.
We look forward to meeting you soon :)
How to get here:
There are several buses to Tagounite and we will pick you up at the bus station.
Marrakech → Tagounite by CTM bus (every day):
leaves at 11.30am, arrives around 9pm.
(you can buy a ticket at the bus station or online)
Night bus from Agadir → Tagounite (every day):
leaves at 9pm, arrives at 6am
(you can buy a ticket at the bus station)
There are also some other local buses and many shared taxis (grand taxi) that you can take at any time.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Grain farming
Raising of other farm animals
Aquaculture
Flower farming
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Green Building
Food justice / sovereignty
Methods or systems
Holistic management
Host type
Production farm
