SUSTAINABLE HARVEST INTERNATIONAL™

la cosecha THE HARVEST

www.sustainableharvest.org fall 2010

From the President & Founder, Florence Reed:

MEET OUR
FIELD TRAINERS
I will always be very grateful to the
Peace Corps for the opportunity it
gave me to grow, learn and become
a better American and global Local staff carrying out the SHI mission
citizen. The Peace Corps does a
tremendous amount of good
for America and her people who
choose to serve overseas, and I feel
I made a lot of positive change during my two years as a
volunteer in Panama. However, if we set aside all the good
created by building bridges between our two cultures and
looked only at the most efficient and effective way to get
the job done, I have no doubt that a local person could
have succeeded at the work. I know that is not true across
the board with Peace Corps Volunteers, but that was my
experience.

I came back from my service with a wealth of new

knowledge, and there were two key insights I recalled later
when I founded Sustainable Harvest International in 1997.
First was the importance of a long-term commitment
for any program seeking to make a permanent change.
Second was the value of hiring local people to carry out
the work on the ground. Local people would work in
partnership with us “gringos” who could bring technical,
financial and other resources as needed. This is why, even
13 years later, the 44 staff working in the Sustainable
Harvest International field programs are from the
countries where we work and usually even from the
same communities. They know the local language(s),
culture, environment and other realities better than any
foreign expert.
While I value the new ideas and perspectives that outsiders
bring to our field work (heck, I even like to think I have a
good idea now and then), I remain committed to the
premise that our field work can best be carried out by
local people who care deeply about their neighbors and
the natural environment in their own countries. This issue
of our newsletter is dedicated to those people.
robert’s work is funded by the
symphasis foundation and the
journey charitable foundation.
MEET ROBERT CHAVARRIA, JR.
Age 22, of Punta Gorda, Toledo, Belize
I was born the oldest child in a family of four. I graduated from the
University of Belize with an Associates Degree in Natural Resource
Management. When I was younger, I assisted my grandfather
at his farm in Laguna Junction where we planted corn, rice and
beans. Now I’m coordinating my own garden at home with
different vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce
and more.
I enjoy working in the fields, providing SHI participants with the
technical advice and assistance they need. I love learning new
things and interacting with different people. My philosophy is that
good things come true through hard work and dedication. The
actions you take reflect the life you live. I am honest, committed,
hardworking and dedicated to SHI and my community.
...continued on page 2

planting hope • restoring forests • nourishing communities

Field Trainers... continued from page 1

MEET MARIANO NAVARRO GONZÁLEZ

Age 49, of La Pintada, Coclé, Panama
I am married to Bernarda de Navarro and we have two children - one is a
college sophomore studying medical technology and the other attends an
agricultural high school. My wife has been working at a farm store for five
years in Panama City.

I have been working for SHI-Panama for six months. I’m working in two
communities, San Juanito and Pagua, with thirty-nine families. I am most
motivated to work with SHI-Panama because it is an organization that
runs on few resources and identifies with people that have few resources -
humble people in rural communities, just like me. Another important thing
is that SHI-Panama protects the environment. I’ve always loved nature and
have always tried to protect her, so that makes me identify with this job.

Even though I have not worked for SHI-Panama for long yet, I feel really good
because I’m winning trust. Families have trusted SHI with their great hopes,
and because I work alongside them and get my hands dirty with them, that
has helped me gain their trust.

I learned that sustainability is a set methodology - a process where each mariano’s work is funded by the
activity depends on another. This is a good use of our community resources

“
ALEX C. walker foundation.
- without the need to bring in outside resources and without causing
damage to our environment. In animal husbandry, for example, we obtain
several benefits at once, since we can generate income and use the waste
(manure) to prepare compost for our gardens; it is an integrated system. SHI has qualified,
SHI-Panama is a small organization, but we are focused on sustainability.
We have qualified, compassionate Field Trainers who teach, prepare and
compassionate
monitor families for long-term success. It will be very important to reach
more families, but of course that depends on financial resources, more
Field Trainers who
time, staff and planning. I have confidence in this methodology because it
teach, prepare and
is effective, and it makes SHI different from many other organizations. With
SHI, families take an active part in each project. Education plays a major role,
helping the individual form an awareness of our mission. I tell donors to monitor families for “
have confidence in SHI - their money is well spent - and to visit us, as they
are part of this process and should see the changes they make possible. long-term success.
MEET DAYSBETH LOPEZ Age 22 of La Pintada, Panama
I have worked for SHI-Panama for four years and I assist forty-five families in two communities
(Tranquilla Norte and Rincón Claro). Working for SHI-Panama is a great honor because I previously
cleaned houses to finance my studies since my family could not afford to pay for school. Now,
because of this job, I am in my third year of university (Bachelor of Agricultural and Environmental
Management) and I built a house that I share with my father and sisters.

When I first began, I had to learn about organics since my technical high school only taught traditional
farming. They did not explain that it was damaging our health and our soil. At SHI-Panama, we want
families to adopt organic farming techniques and reforestation so they can teach their neighbors
after they graduate and become leaders in their communities.

DAYSBETH’s work is Most young people go to Panama City for work because they feel they cannot live off farming, but
funded by BROWN now I see some returning to their communities. SHI-Panama has shown that with organic techniques,
ENVIRONMENTAL. you can generate results and income without leaving your family. We do not make families wealthy,
but they now live better lives in a healthier environment.

2 visit us online: www.sustainableharvest.org • la cosecha fall 2010

 MEET MAURA MEJÍA
Age 29, of Bluefields, Nicaragua
I was born in Bluefields on the Atlantic Coast and studied Agroforestry
Engineering in school. I am a single mother with two daughters who are nine
and ten years old. I have worked for SHI-Nicaragua for three years in the Kukra
River region, where I help thirty families in four communities (El Naranjal, Caño
Azul, La Reforma and Poza Azul).

It hasn’t always been easy. In the beginning, it was a big problem being a woman
working in an environment where only the men perform agricultural activities
and make decisions. Our culture is very religious and male driven. I felt a
rejection from the farmers because they, as men, were not used to working with
women. Also, the wives were worried for their husbands who worked with me
because they thought that a woman could never lead a man, and that women
should never work in the fields but only on household chores.

But over the past three years, my thirty families have come to love, respect,
admire and support me. They now welcome me into their homes and share
with me. I also love and respect them. I work together next to the men, women

“
and children - family integration has been achieved.

Working for SHI is more than just earning a salary.

I have learned about environmental protection and
family nutrition. I have taught these things to my “
children, and I can see the changes in my family.
MEET JORGE RODRÍGUEZ
Age 36, of Pinalejo, Santa Bárbara, Honduras
I am married and have two children - a ten-year-old girl in fifth grade and a five-year-old boy
in kindergarten. My wife is a primary school teacher.

I have worked for SHI-Honduras for six years, and I assist sixty-eight families in five
communities in the area of Concepcion Norte. Working for SHI is more than just earning a
salary. I have learned about environmental protection and family nutrition. I have taught
these things to my children, and I can see the changes in my family.

One of my greatest achievements has been the changes in our participant families since
Jorge’s work is funded
improving their nutrition. In the beginning, the children and adults had almost no food.
by the newman’s own
They told me that they put up with hunger every day. But now, they harvest radishes,
foundation & the hancock
mustard greens, and other vegetables to eat nutritious and healthy food throughout the
united church of christ in
day. I can see their happiness because we focus on food security. The families are very
lexington, ma
grateful and always want to share everything they are producing with me and visitors from
SHI. That makes me very proud to be part of Sustainable Harvest International. 

READ MORE & COMMENT ONLINE: www.sustainableharvest.org/tags/2010fall

planting hope • restoring forests • nourishing communities 3
 FIELD PROGRAM UPDATES
BELIZE
Though the dry season is
long over, and the flooding
of the Mojo River has begun,
the land remains scarred by
the slashing and burning
that typically occurs in May.
Despite these environmental
challenges, SHI-Belize has
helped to plant over 45,000
trees and diversify participant
farms so that they can cultivate
on a more permanent basis
versus the using migratory
techniques of others.
Along with the hardwoods and
fruit trees planted, participant
families are producing cash-
crops, like cacao and ginger.
Recently, families have begun
planting the leguminous
drumstick tree (Moringa
oleifera) in their agroforestry
systems to utilize their nutrient
rich leaves in a ginger tea/spice
powder. The tea is currently
sold by local restaurants and
stores, but there are plans to
expand that market elsewhere
in the country and possibly
abroad.
SHI-Belize is also innovating
in areas that reduce costs and
waste, such as a new approach
to tree nurseries. Hollowed
plantain and banana trunks
sliced in 12” and 18” sections
serve as a decomposable
alternative to plastic nursery
bags and reduce post-
transplant stress.
HONDURAS
With the rains of the new
season having begun and
the first crops beginning to
emerge, SHI-Honduras is
hopeful that harvests will
again be bountiful and provide
the 500+ participant families
with not only sufficient food to
eat, but also enough surplus to
generate additional income.
In addition to improving
the nutrition and income of
rural farming families, SHI-
Honduras successfully planted
over 103,000 trees and
initiated work in Sulaco, Yoro.
Families in Sulaco are already
composting kitchen waste and
crop residue, and beginning
preparation of raised beds for
their future vegetable gardens.
Though still in their first phase,
families in Sulaco are eager
to learn other means of soil
conservation and sustainable
farming.
Following a two week intensive
course on permaculture,
organic farming and
chromatography, staff has
broadened their knowledge
and will be staging similar
trainings for their co-workers
and program participants.
Additional emphasis on
economically viable, low-
input farming systems will
contribute to a healthier and
greener future for many of
Honduras´ rural poor.
NICARAGUA
This past fiscal year, rural
families working with SHI-
Nicaragua improved 1,000
acres through sustainable
farming, agroforestry and
reforestation. Families
planted a variety of tree
and fruit species in their
mixed-use forests, including
avocado, oranges, star apple
(Chrysophyllum cainito),
peach palm, rambutan and
partridge wood (Andira
inermis). Families are planting
green manures and cover
crops in and around their
basic grains, like corn, beans
and taro, to improve nitrogen
levels in the soil and reduce
weed growth.
Families in Nicaragua are
optimistic about their future
and the techniques they have
implemented. Isabel Gamez
of El Panchon says, “I have
diversified my farm and
implemented organic farming
techniques that benefit my
family.”
Lastly, SHI-Nicaragua put
the finishing touches on its
15.5 acre demonstration
farm, Center for the Family
and the Environment.
Staff, community members
and participants can enjoy
the Center as it serves the
public and improves the
farming techniques taught to
participants.
PANAMA
SHI-Panama staff and
families consider their recent
commercialization of produce
as a monumental step forward.
In the past, most families
would sell their produce for
whatever price a middle-man
would offer. Now, seventeen
families in El Entradero sell
their produce in Panama City
via a CSA model (Community
Supported Agriculture) in
partnership with a local
business, Culantro Rojo.
SHI-Panama is setting the
stage to open three new rural
community loan banks in
El Entradero. Also, with co-
financing from Fundacion
Natura, SHI-Panama is
beginning a project in the
Panama Canal Watershed
zone which focuses on home
gardens and wood conserving
stoves. This project will be
a starting point for SHI-
Panama to establish itself in
this environmentally sensitive
region of the country.
SHI-Panama has recently
established 25 biointensive
gardens and has begun soil
testing in the communities
of Pagua and San Juanito. In
the last year, SHI-Panama
participants successfully
converted 59 acres to
sustainable land use practices,
while reforesting 22 acres with
15,986 trees.

Busy in the Barrio by volunteer Jill Edens

A North Carolina group completes a host
of projects for 2 Honduran communities

fare in homes of SHI farming families. Our first stop was in

the small village of Barrio Abajo. We were so happy to see the
On March 6, 2010, after many months of planning, we (members
healthy and expanded goat herd, with its tidy house and new
of the United Church of Christ Chapel Hill) were finally on our
fencing, that volunteers from our North Carolina community
way to Honduras as volunteers on an SHI Smaller World Tour.
had supported the previous year. Some of us hoed trenches for
Two SHI trip coordinators and the SHI-Honduras Country
animal feed while others dug post holes for fencing. The other
Director, Yovany Munguia, met us at the airport in San Pedro
half of our group built a chicken coop, started a garden, and
Sula. We were soon on the road to the mountainous district
planted seedlings. Even with all of our projects, there was still
of Yoro, where SHI provides hands-on training in sustainable
time for a walk to a nearby stream beneath the ridge line of the
agriculture to more than 300 families.
mountains. The scenery reminded me of our mountains back
Our group enjoyed warm hospitality and delicious Honduran home.

4 visit us online: www.sustainableharvest.org • la cosecha fall 2010

 plant seedlings for a reforestation project including everything
from mahogany to cedar trees in a thoughtfully planned project
that would shelter the community watershed and provide
the family with a sustainable income for decades to come.
Other group members helped create a biogas digester which
transforms cow manure into usable methane gas - enough for a
family to cook all their meals. The decomposed manure would
also serve as a valuable source of compost for the family garden.
Others built a water-catchment tank, while my group ended our
stay by helping to plant cassava and plantains.

We were amazed at how many projects SHI and their local

A HONDURAN SCHOOLBOY
TRANSPLANTS A TREE SEEDLING
ON THE HILLSIDE.
After two nights it was a sad goodbye to the families in Barrio
Abajo and on to our next community, El Ocotal, where we
observed and helped with a wide variety of projects. I helped
build a wood-conserving stove - a beautiful adobe creation that
could heat the kitchen, bake bread and provide a hot surface for
tortillas and other stovetop cooking. This low-tech stove uses up
to 50% less wood than the traditional stoves in the area and was
properly vented to improve the indoor air quality for the family.
My husband, Rick, helped dig a tilapia pond that would provide
an additional source of protein for the recipient family. I helped
field trainers had organized for us, and additionally, to see for
ourselves the profound difference these low-cost, sustainable
practices can make for the well-being of communities. The
contrast between SHI communities and the farms around them
was easy to see. I am so grateful to have been the guest of our
Honduran friends and to have had the opportunity to see the
effective work that SHI is doing among them. With a sad “adios,”
we left for our final days of sightseeing in Copan. We will look
forward to our next visit! 
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR
SMALLER WORLD TOURS ONLINE:
www.sustainableharvest.org/travel

EARTH UNIVERSITY:
OFFERING UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES
One of the biggest obstacles to sustainable knowledge that they gain in the classroom.
development in many rural areas of This unique curriculum has given the
Latin America is the lack of access to University an excellent reputation
a practical education. One throughout the world, but
Central American institution despite the incredible interest,
working to change that is the admissions department
EARTH University, located goes out of its way to recruit
in the heart of the tropics in student leaders from rural and
the Caribbean lowlands of underserved areas of the tropics,
Costa Rica. The University’s providing 85% of its student body
campus boasts educational with full or partial scholarships.
facilities, demonstration farms
FOR MORE
and a swath of primary and This approach seems to be
secondary growth rainforest INFORMATION, VISIT: paying off, as EARTH alumni are
where students from Latin ear th-usa.org overwhelmingly returning to their
America, the Caribbean and countries of origin – 86% of them
Africa come to learn sustainable agriculture do so. These students are creating jobs and
and natural resources management. bringing the socially and environmentally
minded initiatives they learned at EARTH
The hands-on approach practiced at back to their communities. This year marks
EARTH University encourages students EARTH University’s 20th Anniversary,
to find practical applications for the and to celebrate, EARTH graduates joined
the University and friends to plant over
one million trees in 31 countries, a sign of
just how committed they are to protecting
the natural environment.
_______
In addition to an excellent academic
program, EARTH University provides
training for organizations, including SHI.
Several years ago, the majority of our staff
from all four country programs learned a
tremendous amount during a week-long
course on organics at EARTH. On several
occasions, SHI-Belize has benefited from
the four-month internship that all EARTH
students complete during their third year of
studies. And, one of our programs has the
distinction of having a very special tie to
EARTH - the Board Chair of SHI-Nicaragua
is an EARTH graduate. We appreciate
EARTH University’s efforts over the past 20
years and hope to work even more closely
with them in the future. 

planting hope • restoring forests • nourishing communities 5

 This spring, we released our much-awaited short documentary, Planting Hope, capturing

PLANTING HOPE
life in rural Honduras from the perspectives of SHI field trainer, Juan Carlos, and SHI
graduate farmer, Don Cheyo (photo left).

Juan Carlos has worked for SHI for ten years and exemplifies the commitment to community
and sustainable farming that is at the heart of SHI’s mission. Watch as he visits rural villages
to provide assistance and advice to farmers transitioning to sustainable techniques. Don
Cheyo provides a tour of his farm and insight into how his life has changed since working
with SHI. He shows us that there is hope for change and stability in an often degraded
landscape.

You can help spread awareness about this crucial work and start showing your community
the difference SHI makes for the planet and its people! Watch our inspiring video online,
then take a minute to contact us to set up a Screening Party in your area. Whether you
invite just a few friends or your entire community, please take action today to help protect
our planet. We need your help now to continue planting hope in Central America! 

WATCH IT ONLINE: www.sustainableharvest.org/hope

HOST A SCREENING PARTY: shi@sustainableharvest.org
“Planting Hope” was produced by Myriad Media, who generously donated their time and resources to the project.

Our Garden Grows

BELOW: Young broccoli
well on its way to
becoming a full head!

SHI was a recipient of the 2009 Dirigo Award for Non-Profit

Excellence from the Maine Association of Nonprofits. We
used the funds to expand our
organic community garden
at our Surry, Maine office. As
you can see, we have enjoyed
many delicious vegetables
from the garden!

ABOVE: Vice President,

Greg Field, digs in &
gets his feet dirty!
ABOVE: Major Gifts
RIGHT: Authentic Coordinator, Randy Morrison,
Maine potatoes takes a kale break.

6 visit us online: www.sustainableharvest.org • la cosecha fall 2010

 LA COSECHA
'
KIDS CORNER
RAINFOREST TRIVIA
The rainforest is one of the world’s greatest natural resources, but it is being
destroyed by people who want to harvest wood, graze cattle and burn the
land to farm on it. Sustainable Harvest International is teaching people new
and better farming methods that protect the rainforest from being cut down
and burned, while also improving their family’s nutrition and quality of life.
How many different types of
1 fruit are found in the rainforest?

a) 250 b) 1,500 c) 3,000

Which food does NOT grow in

2 the rainforest?

a) oranges b) blueberries
c) coconuts d) cashew nuts

How many acres of rainforest

3 are destroyed each minute
due to cutting and burning?

a) 10 b) 30 c) 60 d) 90

4 Which animal does NOT live in

the rainforest?

a) monkey b) parrot
c) lobster d) snake

Experts think the rainforest

5 could disappear in how many
years?
sources: world resources institute, rain-tree.com and supercoloring.com
5) a - 40 4) c- lobster 3) c - 60 2) b - blueberries answers: 1) c - 3,000 a) 40 b) 150 c) 500 d) 2,000

planting hope • restoring forests • nourishing communities 7

 non-profit org.
sustainable harvest international
u.s. postage
779 north bend road
surry, maine 04684 u.s.a. PAID
bangor, me
zip code 04401
address service requested permit no.76

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

1. Meet our Field Trainers
4. Field Program Updates
4. Busy in the Barrio
5. EARTH University
6. Planting Hope
6. Our Garden Grows
7. Kids’ Corner - Rainforest

Sustainable Harvest International provides farming families in Central America with connect with SHI online!
the training and tools to restore our planet’s tropical forests while overcoming poverty.
facebook.com/sustainableharvestinternational
La Cosecha is a publication of Sustainable Harvest International (SHI), a nonprofit organization recognized
under IRS code 501(c)3, and all donations to SHI are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. twitter.com/SHILaCosecha

la cosecha is printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks. please enjoy it, then pass it on!

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WORKSHOP!!
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Get more information:

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or call 919-967-3662
May 22 - 30, 2011
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207.669.8254 • shi@sustainableharvest.org • www.sustainableharvest.org