In September 2023, an earthquake devastated Morocco’s High Atlas region, impacting many farmers. Ecosia, a search engine, pledged profits from one day to support recovery efforts through the High Atlas Foundation, aimed at restoring infrastructure and planting trees. A year later, significant progress includes 80,000 planted trees, irrigation repairs, and solar panel installations.
In September 2023, a catastrophic earthquake struck Morocco, severely affecting the residents of the High Atlas region, where many farmers witnessed the destruction of their lands and livelihoods. In response, Ecosia, a search engine committed to environmental sustainability, stepped in to alleviate the crisis. The company pledged to donate all profits from searches conducted on one specific day the previous year to the High Atlas Foundation (HAF). This initiative aims to restore essential infrastructure and plant 200,000 trees as conditions permit. A year later, significant progress has been made; Ecosia and HAF have collaborated to plant 80,000 trees, repair numerous irrigation systems, and install 60 solar panels in the affected villages. Yossef Ben-Meir, the president of HAF, emphasizes the devastation caused by the earthquake, highlighting that approximately 50,000 families were deeply impacted. “A village of 300 people lost half its people,” he stated, emphasizing the severity of the tragedy. Ecosia’s chief tree planting officer, Pieter van Midwoud, expressed that dedicating a day’s profits to support the region was a straightforward decision. “We are involved with close to 6,000 farmers in Morocco and many of the people we know live in those villages,” he noted, reflecting on the urgency of their mission. For eight years, Ecosia has developed strong ties with local farmers and the HAF, establishing nurseries that produce seedlings vital for reforestation and agricultural resilience. Ecosia has prioritized working with the most affected villages to restore various infrastructures, such as terraces and solar panels. Climate change and a six-year drought have compounded the challenges faced by local communities, prompting the need for effective water management systems. Ben-Meir elucidated, “We’re a community development organization. Many of these communities want to plant trees as they transition from barley and corn.” The long-term goal of these initiatives is to create self-sustaining revenue streams that support additional development projects. Both Ben-Meir and van Midwoud highlighted the importance of tailoring nurseries to meet local farmers’ demands for specific tree species. “They are not big nurseries, but they can stand on their own feet, because farmers pay for the trees that they get from them,” van Midwoud mentioned, noting the sustainability of this approach. This strategy has effectively transformed the tree planting efforts in the High Atlas region into a viable legacy, benefiting both the environment and the communities involved.
The article discusses the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in September 2023 that affected the High Atlas region of Morocco, particularly its farming communities. The search engine Ecosia has committed resources and efforts to aid recovery by collaborating with the High Atlas Foundation to restore infrastructure and promote environmental sustainability through tree planting. The support provided by Ecosia is significant in aiding local families and revitalizing the agricultural practices that were disrupted by the disaster.
The collaboration between Ecosia and the High Atlas Foundation has proven vital in supporting the recovery of communities in the High Atlas region following the earthquake. Their joint efforts have facilitated the planting of trees, the restoration of irrigation systems, and the provision of renewable energy solutions, all of which aim to foster resilience in agriculture and improve the quality of life for affected families. As a result, this partnership sets a precedent for how technology companies can positively impact communities in crisis.
Original Source: www.forbes.com
