The first edition of the Harvest Festival will take place from October 15 to 31 in Marrakech, on the occasion of the celebration of World Food Day (October 16).
Initiated by the “Global Diversity Foundation” (GDF) and “Moroccan Biodiversity and Livelihoods Association” (MBLA), two entities operating within the framework of the promotion of biodiversity and livelihoods, the Harvest Festival will be the occasion to promote the local products of the cooperatives of the High Atlas in Marrakech and nationally and internationally, and to discover plants from around the world cultivated locally and used in various cuisines.
According to a press release from the organizers, the celebration of the Harvest Festival offers all partners the opportunity to unleash their creativity as well as a superb platform for the enhancement of their own activity.
During this event, the emphasis will be on the “local”: agroecology, biodiversity, culture and gastronomy, taking place and produced in the Marrakech-Safi region and its surroundings.
“Celebrating the rich harvest and the seasonal break in agricultural activity is a tradition spread across all latitudes. Abundance, freedom as well as community spirit and the recognition of agronomic, biological and cultural diversity are at the heart of these festivals ”, explain the organizers.
The harvest festival will become annual
Thus, this festival offers a space for reflection through workshops on agriculture, the issue of gender and nutrition in rural areas and serves as an opportunity to celebrate the local emergence of agroecology and permaculture.
On the menu of this festival aimed at strengthening the links and exchanges between the various foreign residents in Marrakech and the urban and rural communities of the region, are events designed for a large audience, regardless of their ages and backgrounds.
Bohemian and unconventional, this edition aims to interconnect farmers, artisans, artists, chefs, restaurateurs, writers, musicians and creatives of all stripes.
Throughout this event, the participating chefs will present on their menus, special dishes highlighting local products.
The last three weekends of the month will be dedicated to different themes such as “Agroecology and gastronomy”, with markets for culinary products and a symposium on food justice and sovereignty, “Cultural diversity”, with a market arts and crafts, a film festival and various openings of thematic exhibitions.
The Harvest Festival, it is specified, aims to become an annual event celebrated every October as well as a springboard for future events linked mainly to agriculture and biodiversity, such as the organization of a Festival. annual Seeds in May (on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity celebrated on May 22).
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