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Sustainable Harvest International779 North Bend Road 
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WHO WE ARE - HISTORY | ||
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Learn about Sustainable Harvest International |
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Founded in 1997 by Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Florence Reed, Sustainable Harvest International addresses the tropical deforestation crisis in Central America by providing farmers with sustainable alternatives to slash-and-burn agriculture.  While serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panamá in the early 1990's, Florence Reed learned that tropical deforestation has a tragic human component. Desperate farmers longed for practical training to protect local forests and restore degraded lands. Not only concerned with increased agricultural yields, these farmers also wanted to leave a healthy ecosystem for future generations. Reed extensively researched sustainable alternatives to slash-and-burn farming during her Peace Corp tenure. Together, Reed and the Panamanian farmers met with considerable success in implementing these practices. Upon finishing her Peace Corps service, Reed sought to build upon the tremendous potential to create significant and permanent change throughout Central America. In Honduras, she met with a group of villages that wanted to implement sustainable techniques. Reed then cultivated interest in the project among a group of concerned university professors, small business owners, a member of the New Hampshire Belize teachers  exchange, and non-profit executives. They formed a Board of Directors and Sustainable Harvest International was incorporated as a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization in May 1997. By then, SHI's first two field personnel (extensionists) had begun work in rural Honduras. Since 1997, SHI has expanded its reach from the one program in Honduras to also include programs in Panamá, Belize and, most recently, Nicaragua. SHI recently established La Fundacion Cosecha Sostenible Honduras (the Sustainable Harvest Honduras Foundation) as an independent affiliate. After a transition period, that pilot program will become responsible for its own management and funding. SHI thus facilitates implementation of a program that allows poor farmers to take responsibility for reversing environmental degradation and achieving economic viability within their own countries. |
Sustainable Harvest International is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent provided by law.
Copyright Sustainable Harvest International and Harbour Light Strategic Marketing 1998-2007.
This site is maintained by SHI staff using Savvy Web Content Manager.
Special thanks to Makali Bruton, our volunteer translator.
Smaller World: Reg. U.S. Pat. & T.M. Off
Read our Privacy Statement.
Copyright Sustainable Harvest International and Harbour Light Strategic Marketing 1998-2007.
This site is maintained by SHI staff using Savvy Web Content Manager.
Special thanks to Makali Bruton, our volunteer translator.
Smaller World: Reg. U.S. Pat. & T.M. Off
Read our Privacy Statement.