Morocco: The Argan Tree and the Women Who Saved It - The History of Fresh Produce

About this episode

The episode explores the history and significance of the argan tree in Morocco, focusing on the women who have preserved it and the economic challenges they face in the global market.

Why has the argan tree — which grows nowhere else on Earth — survived for 65 million years in the mountains of Morocco, and why are the women who have tended it for centuries now earning two euros sixty for a litre of oil that sells for a hundred in Paris? Who was Zoubida Charrouf, the chemist who gave scientific language to what Amazigh women had always known, and built a cooperative movement that changed thousands of lives — only for the global market to arrive and take almost everything? And what does liquid gold look like from the bottom of the supply chain? Join John and Patrick as they tell the story of Morocco and the argan tree — the performance goats, the women's cooperatives, and the ancient knowledge that the world monetised without ever properly paying for... ---------- In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business ----------- Join the History of Fresh Produce Club for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, book discounts and access to an exclusive chatroom community. Support us! Share this episode with your friends Give a 5-star rating Write a review ----------- Subscribe to our biweekly newsletter here for extra stories related to…

People in this episode

Hosts: John, Patrick

Topics covered

• Argan tree
• Women's cooperatives
• Sustainable agriculture
• Global market impact
• Cultural heritage
• Economic disparity

Keywords

• Argan oil
• Amazigh women
• cooperative movement
• supply chain
• sustainability
• cultural knowledge
• economic justice

Sponsors

Cornell University, Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Morocco, Paris, mountains of Morocco

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