For Immediate Release:
Subsistence Farmers Fight Global Warming by Restoring Forests
Please help us spread the word about this exciting milestone by contacting your local paper.

Subsistence farmers working with Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) are celebrating the planting of their two millionth tree in Central America as this sustainable development organization approaches its 10 year anniversary on May 14, 2007.

Over 5,000 economically disadvantaged men, women and children in 100 rural communities in Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize and Panama have contributed to this effort. Unlike with many other reforestation efforts, these farmers have not been paid to plant the trees. Rather, they plant the trees because they understand the benefits that these trees will bring to their families as they grow. These benefits include improved nutrition and income from the production of fruit, nuts, spices, timber, coffee and cacao. Planting trees back onto the land also restores nutrients to the soil, provides a habitat for diverse plants and animals, prevents erosion, protects watersheds and mitigates global warming. Though these environmental benefits may seem like they would be a bit ephemeral for struggling families in remote Central American villages, they are not. Farmers working with Sustainable Harvest International well understand how important a steady water supply, healthy soils and a stable climate are for a productive farm.

Don German Lira, an SHI program participant in Nicaragua shared some of his thoughts about the assistance local families have received to plant trees.

"I have the support of SHI with the work on my farm and am planting areas of my land with trees so that in the future I will not have to take trees from the forest for lumber. I also have started nurseries of cedar and mahogany with the objective of reforesting the area around my community's watershed so that the water sources will be protected for future generations.

I have planted an area with pigeon pea bushes to fertilize the soil so that I will not have to clear new land each year. I also have a garden with annatto bushes and a grove of plantains. These crops will bring in more income for my family."

One of the integrated ways that SHI encourages reforestation is by providing training in a technique called multi-story growing. These plantations enable families to grow their crops in a way that mimics the natural forest. The top story is usually made up of hardwood trees such as mahogany and rosewood, a valuable, long-term investment for the farm. The next story down is often fast-growing, leguminous trees that are less valuable but can be harvested and replanted more quickly while also improving the overall productivity of the land. Below that are shorter species such as bananas, coffee or cacao, which are often the primary annual cash crop. Even on the ground level other crops such as ginger can be grown and vines such as vanilla that can grow up the trees. Multi-story plantations provide families with a diversity of crops for their tables and the local marketplace creating both environmental and economic stability. Studies have found that more than 85% of bird species that have abandoned deforested areas are returning to these types of multi-story forests.

Don German Lira again: "I have lived in the community of San Sebastian for 10 years. I work on my farm which is 40 manzanas [about 80 acres] of land. I am a park guard of the Cerro Silva del Marena Natural Reserve which is part of the Biological Area of the South Atlantic.

I became interested in Sustainable Harvest International because it is an organization that makes the effort to work in our remote community. The training that the organization has offered has helped so much. Already on my farm, I had many trees, but thanks to SHI now I also have fruit trees.

There are many actives that I am practicing with SHI that relate to my work in the park. It is part of my job to give tree seeds to the people to use for reforestation, but I had not learned how to collect the seeds from the trees. SHI has given me this knowledge and more. As part of my participation with the organization I have learned how to construct a tree nursery.

I hope SHI will be able to help more families to plant trees so that they will be protected from drought in the summer and show them they don't need to burn the land. We unite in our work so that we can protect more of the natural resources and SHI supports my work of speaking with other communities.

Thank you SHI. God bless you"

Planting continues in all of SHI's participating communities with hundreds more communities anxious to get involved. Anyone interested in supporting this effort is encouraged to visit SHI's website at www.sustainableharvest.org or phone their US office at (207) 669-8254

Celebrating 10 Years!

Sustainable Harvest Honduras celebrates its 10th year with the official opening of the Florence Reed Demonstration Farm and Training Center. The event was attended by families from throughout the district that have participated in SHI's programs as well as members from its local and international staff.

The Demonstration Farm is located in the northern highlands of the district of Santa Barbara and includes classrooms, dormitories, demonstration gardens, tree nurseries, a biogas digester, orchard, composting latrines, a wood-conserving stove,a biodiesel workshop and other demonstration projects. The center serves as a site where local farmers, staff and volunteers can come together and experience techniques that improve family well-being while restoring the local environment.

Greg Field represented SHI's US office at the event and said, "The celebration brought people together from all over the district who have participated in SHI's programs. Their hard work and collaboration is what has led to the success. Everyone in attendance was given a tree seedling as a symbol of the growth and future of Sustainable Harvest Honduras."

Guests at the farm assisted with transplanting breadfruit tree seedlings; a project that SHI is working on with support from the Breadfruit Institute. The Institute has provided the seedlings as part of a research project on what varieties of the tree grow best in local conditions. Sustainable Harvest Honduras Executive Director, Yovany Munguia, is enthusiastic about the collaboration with the Institute. Breadfruit trees are one of many varieties that SHI extensionists in Honduras are encouraging families to include on their farms. The breadfruit itself is rich in protein and marketable. Trees like these can be used to reduce erosion, protect watersheds and provide shade for crops like cacao, coffee and ginger.

Click here to see photos from the celebration and other projects.

SHI and Engineers Without Borders

Sustainable Harvest Panama is working in collaboration with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) to bring potable water systems to impoverished communities in the district of Anton. An EWB group from Sacramento State visited our work site in Anton during their spring break to assess the site and plan possible projects. The students and faculty plan to return in the coming months to construct a water system that will serve approximately 60 families in the community of Guabas Arriba. They are working to design an system that will be built with resources from the area and maintained by the community. SHI's local staff is providing families with training in techniques that are improving soil quality and protecting existing watersheds through reforestation efforts.

Sustainable Harvest International  •  779 North Bend Rd. Surry, ME 04684  •  207.669.8254 (phone)  •  866.683.6594 (toll free) •  207.669.8255 (fax)  •  shi@sustainableharvest.org  •  www.sustainableharvest.org