The main villages are situated along wadis, streams, or near springs. Above 1,800 meters are the aazibs—villages of stone sheepfolds and communal pastures. Herders, who are also farmers, move to these aazibs in early July, after the meadows have bloomed and the plants have gone to seed. They will come down before the snow in November.

Water is more abundant in the aazibs, and wet meadows provide prime pastureland. Captured springs allow for the irrigation of terraced crops via a network of canals called seguias. These terraces produce vegetables, cereals (barley, wheat, and corn), alfalfa for the animals, apple and valuable saffron. While the entire village population used to move up to the aazib at the end of the school year, this is less common today.

The aazibs are managed collectively, with strict regulations on when pastures can be used to ensure they regenerate. This traditional knowledge, passed down through generations of Amazigh agro-pastoralists, is key to the ecosystem’s resilience. However, it needs to be strengthened to cope with intensifying droughts.

A major challenge for the region is restoring its pastures and implementing more sustainable management. One of the most important traditional methods is the Agdal, a system that protects communal forests and pastures. Though weakened, this system still exists in the Siroua.

We are exploring avenues for restoration and management, such as:

• Rotational grazing: To prevent overgrazing and allow vegetation to recover.
• Sowing fodder plants: To supplement natural pastures.

The Igoudars, or collective granaries, are a widespread heritage in Berber civilization. These fortified buildings served as a defense during tribal conflicts and as a secure place to store harvests and other valuable goods.

Today, some are still used for storage and community activities, serving as powerful symbols of a shared identity and history.

The people of Siroua are part of the Aït Ouaouzguite confederation, who have a long history of weaving. They traditionally created rugs, bags, and clothing, which they traded at annual souks.

Initially, each of the tribes had its own motifs. While it is still possible to identify the origin of certain carpets, the mobility of women due to marriage, exchanges with urban markets—mainly Marrakech—and more recently, connections to social media have strongly inspired and diversified the designs produced by the female artisans.

The weaving activity is still very developed in the Siroua and represents a significant source of income for many families, who produce not only carpets but also wool cloth for the self-consumption of the extended family (djellabas and burnous).

However, the women weavers of the massif only use the fleeces of the Siroua sheep in a very marginal way. Instead, they prefer low-quality manufactured wool yarns and cotton for the warp. The time-consuming process of manually transforming fleece into yarn is only worthwhile for high-value-added products

Despite the development of cooperatives, the artisans struggle to commercialize their carpets. The quality (of the wool and dyes) is very uneven, and the market remains largely controlled by male intermediaries.

Our initiatives have helped connect artisans with designers who place small, specific orders for high-value products, ensuring weavers are paid fairly for their exceptional skills and the use of high-quality Siroua wool.