Today we’d like to introduce you to Sustainable Harvest International

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

In the early 1990’s, Florence Reed served as an agroforestry Peace Corps volunteer in Panama. During her service, she witnessed desperate farmers burning forests for farmland.

The new land produced food for only a few years, leading to an ongoing cycle of deforestation. Reed knew that the farmers recognized the catastrophic impacts of burning forests, but they didn’t see any other way to grow food and provide for their families.

Reed realized that practical training in more sustainable agricultural methods could provide farmers with a way to better provide for their families while protecting and restoring their precious ecosystems. This realization moved her to do extensive research on sustainable alternatives. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, however, the time Reed had to train farmers on sustainable agriculture and agroforestry was limited. It was through this experience that Reed saw the need to create a multi-year program that would give farmers plenty of time to learn, experiment, adjust, and adopt new, sustainable practices.

Sustainable Harvest International now has programs in three Central American countries and a community of dedicated donors that allow our locally-hired field trainers to keep doing their important work. Since 1997, we’ve worked with over 4,000 families and planted more than 4 million trees and look forward to what we can accomplish in the future with the help of our supporters.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

Farmers partnering with Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) face significant challenges in growing food due to climate change. Floods, heat waves, droughts, and severe storms threaten the communities we serve, the gardens they plant, and the forests they strive to restore. Despite these harsh environmental conditions, our farmers persist, cultivating crops that nourish both rural communities and the planet.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

We educate family farmers and provide them with the training and tools necessary to become community leaders in sustainability. Our local field trainers work with families, individuals, and communities using a five-phase approach. Our long-term programs ensures that every partner farmer has the time, resources, and connections to build their small, sustainable agribusiness. Field trainers tailor the program to each participant’s goals, preferences, and abilities.

We enhance the productivity of farmland, improve livelihoods, and increase access to nutritious food through our multifaceted approach to addressing the economic and environmental crises in Central America. Our approach involves community-based, contextual training led by local residents. We believe this long-term approach is more effective and creates long-lasting change.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?

While our primary focus is on regenerative agriculture, our programs also incorporate clean cooking training, small business development, and resource redistribution. We assist farmers in constructing wood-conserving stoves, which reduce air pollution and protect lung health. Our comprehensive business management and marketing training helps family farmers diversify their incomes, enhancing livelihoods. In terms of resource redistribution, we ensure farmers have the necessary tools to restore ecosystems. We provide water filters when available for clean drinking water, irrigation systems to manage water effectively during extreme weather, and we help build community water reservoirs that benefit everyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sustainableharvest.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainableharvestintl/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SustainableHarvestInternational
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SustainableHarvestIntl
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sustainableharvestintl

Image Credits

Sustainable Harvest International