My name is Erick Rodríguez. I live with my wife Rosalía, my son Alfonso and my daughter Itania in rural Tranquilla, Panama.

Before I began working with Sustainable Harvest International, I slashed and burned my scrub land and planted traditional crops like cassava, corn and rice. I learned this from my father when he taught me to work in the fields. No one told me that I was polluting and damaging my soils.

Now, I know more and want to have products that won’t harm me or others. In June 2010, I planted 200 pineapples Daysbeth, my Field Trainer, got for me. Now, I am very excited because the pineapples are bearing fruit. I have also planted corn, beans, cucumbers, saril, papayas, and plantains. 

With Daysbeth’s technical help, I plan to establish my home garden. I received training on how to make organic fertilizers. 

Besides selling beans, Daysbeth supported me with a chicken project. I breed and sell chickens to pay for my son's schooling (he's in sixth grade). I am naturally feeding the chickens with the organic corn, cassava and coconut that I grow on my farm.