Hashish cultivation in Morocco’s Rif Mountains dates again centuries, believed to have been launched to the North African nation by Arab merchants within the seventh century. The area’s dry, chilly and mountainous local weather proved perfect for rising hashish, embedding the plant deeply into native tradition. Initially consumed as kif, a mix of hashish and tobacco smoked in conventional pipes known as sebsi, the apply developed into cannabis manufacturing by the late twentieth century. This shift was influenced by elevated international demand and new strategies launched by worldwide vacationers within the Nineteen Sixties and ’70s. As we speak, Morocco is the world’s largest producer of cannabis, with the Rif Valley serving as a hub for cultivation and processing rooted in custom.
The farms in Morocco’s Rif Valley have mastered hash manufacturing over generations. Now, they’re merging conventional strategies with fashionable GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) requirements to create high-quality merchandise appropriate for international export. Conventional Ketama drums (Tam Tams) stay central to processing and preserving cultural heritage whereas guaranteeing compliance with worldwide requirements.
Humboldt Seed Firm (HSC), the Northern Californian entity famend for its experience in hashish genetics, has been actively concerned on this transformation.
The 4 Seasons Of Moroccan Hash Making
HSC collaborated intently with native farmers whereas visiting throughout all 4 seasons to raised perceive their practices. HSC Founder and CEO Nathaniel Pennington and his workforce have been serving to Rif Valley farmers determine challenges whereas introducing progressive breeding strategies that each honor custom and enhance financial viability.
“We discovered ourselves sharing the identical message with all of the farmers we met: ‘Maintain on to your heritage genetics as a result of you will have one thing very particular right here,’” shares Pennington, who additionally says the Moroccan Beldia hash affords “a way more visible excessive, nearly like a light acid journey.”
Winter And Ramadan: Quiet Processing Interval
Winter is taken into account the “sleeping season” within the Rif Valley, marked by quietude throughout Ramadan. Nevertheless, it’s additionally the first hash processing season. As temperatures drop under 50°F, the valley echoes with the rhythmic sounds of Ketama drums, signaling hash manufacturing.
Processing follows a easy but efficient approach: Dried hashish is sifted by silkscreens utilizing sticks to extract trichomes. This methodology displays greater than 6,000 years of inherited information handed down orally by generations. Employees sing conventional songs whereas working in synchronicity, making a communal ambiance steeped in historical past.
Throughout their winter go to, HSC noticed these practices firsthand, noting how prolonged households and seasonal staff collect to course of hash by the evening. As soon as completed, the hash is saved in fridges earlier than being pressed into bricks for export. Morocco stays the biggest international exporter of cannabis, with important shipments to Europe.
Spring: Planting Practices
Spring marks planting season within the Rif Valley. Native farmers use a singular round planting system round their compounds. The “Inside Circle” is for Romea Flower (international genetics) and requires extra water and care. The “Center Circle” is reserved for
Beldia-Romea hybrids and solely wants average consideration. Lastly, the “Outer Circle” is for Beldia landrace varieties. Hardy and tailored to native circumstances, these varietals yield solely three % cannabinoids and wish little or no consideration.
HSC labored alongside farmers within the spring to look at planting strategies firsthand and discover methods to reinforce yields whereas respecting conventional practices. Additionally they started pheno-hunting efforts to determine resilient strains suited to Morocco’s local weather.
Summer time: Plant-Tending Challenges
Summer time is devoted to tending hashish vegetation. Farmers face challenges similar to Fusarium pathogens that threaten crops. HSC centered on figuring out resistant phenotypes by in depth pheno-hunting efforts—a course of they’ve mastered globally throughout areas similar to California, Jamaica and Antigua. Their purpose was to develop strains that mix resilience with excessive yields, guaranteeing farmers can meet market calls for with out sacrificing conventional values.
Fall: Harvesting And Storage
Fall marks harvest time within the Rif Valley. Farmers gently sun-dry hashish on massive tarps, flipping vegetation rigorously to protect trichomes. After drying, vegetation are stacked into compact formations resembling brick partitions which might be usually 4 ft broad and eight ft excessive and might attain lengths of as much as 100 ft. This historic storage apply preserves the terpenes and cannabinoids.
Throughout this season, HSC recognized alternatives for enhancing farmer returns by bettering yields: Beldia Flower delivers 100kg yields with 1kg of hash, and Romea Flower delivers 100kg yields with 13kg of hash. HSC’s breeding initiatives purpose to discover a center floor—creating strains that mix Beldia’s resilience with Romea’s productiveness whereas retaining conventional traits.
Humboldt Seed Firm’s International Pheno-Searching Efforts
HSC’s work in Morocco is a part of their broader international pheno-hunting initiative geared toward preserving historic landrace strains whereas adapting them to fashionable market calls for. In Morocco particularly, they documented farmers’ tales and traditions to make sure their voices have been heard amid legalization shifts. The workforce explored genetic range inside Beldia strains—valued for his or her drought resistance—and launched worldwide genetics to reinforce cannabinoid manufacturing.
HSC’s efforts embrace breeding triploid strains that promise seedless vegetation higher suited to hash manufacturing below Morocco’s distinctive environmental circumstances. This method mirrors HSC’s Latitudes Venture collaboration with Dr. Machel Emanuel within the Caribbean, the place they’ve modernized Indigenous landrace genetics whereas preserving agricultural biodiversity.
Sustaining Custom By Innovation
The 4 Seasons method highlights how innovation can coexist with custom—guaranteeing Moroccan hash stays a world treasure whereas supporting native farmers economically and culturally. Humboldt Seed Firm exemplifies this steadiness by combining cutting-edge fashionable breeding strategies with respect for heritage practices that produce the most effective hashish.
