Women-Led Cooperatives Reshape Morocco's Rose Industry

In Morocco's Valley of the Roses, women are reclaiming the Damask rose industry through cooperatives and independent businesses. The region around Kelâat M’gouna, inhabited by Amazigh communities, has cultivated roses for centuries, with women traditionally handling picking and distillation. French colonization in 1912 led to industrial exploitation, with factories opening in 1937 and 1947. After independence in 1956, the export-driven monopoly persisted. Since 2008, supported by the "Plan Maroc Vert," nearly seventy cooperatives like Les Femmes du Dadès have emerged, offering fair wages and profit-sharing to women. Individual entrepreneurs like Hafsa Chakibi, who founded Flora Sina in 2018, pay above-market rates and reinvest in community projects. Pickers like Fatima Temaghrite and Mariam Tarhalt report increased control and financial independence. The annual Festival of Roses celebrates the harvest with music, dance, and a queen pageant. Despite challenges like fluctuating prices, the shift toward women-led enterprises is gradually redistributing economic power.