After a fruitful day-long hybrid webinar, the remaining days of the festival were in-person. The second day focused on seeds and more specifically, the development of the seed market and how they’re used today. The day started with a discussion panel on developing a rural seed industry. Participants provided valuable suggestions on creating a rural seed industry and its long-term benefits for the rural communes and regions in Morocco. The day continued with attendees participating in a workshop on the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and its implementation in Morocco to discuss how different stakeholders can engage with the framework of the Treaty and its relation to ICCAs. A session on bartering seeds between rural seed suppliers also took place and highlighted the historical and contemporary importance of seed exchanges across the High Atlas. 

The second day concluded with a culinary arts competition honouring traditional Amazigh food, impelling women from around the High Atlas to share their regional treasures. All the used ingredients were organic and grown by the participants. Fatima Amagar, President of Amagar cooperative, Oumnia Himmi, Ecology Professor at Mohamed V University, and Chef Hacene, former rapper and creative French chef, were part of the judging committee. They tasted all the dishes and had a difficult time ranking them. “Once I started tasting, I could not stop. The ingredients used by the participants elevated the recipes. I can safely say that all of them are restaurant worthy”, the Chef said. “It is truly remarkable how the participants are preserving traditional Amazigh fare and passing them down from one generation to the next. Such practices are one of the ways cultural aspects of the High Atlas region are conserved”, he added.