SHI-Panama began working with Mr. Roberto Arauz in February. He lives with his wife, who is pregnant and with whom he has seven children: four in school, two younger ones at home, and one adult that could not complete school due to lack of money. His home in Tranquilla Centro is made of thatch and only has one 600 sq. foot room and a kitchen. We were immediately struck by his story of poverty and health problems due to chemical pesticides:
Five years ago, I worked for a business that cultivated melons for export. Everything was sprayed with different chemical pesticides and my job was to fumigate the plantations. The business didn’t have enough safety equipment for all their employees, so they divided it among the workers; to some they gave lenses, to others shirts, and others masks.
One day I was spraying a highly toxic insecticide, but the truth is I didn’t know what it was. The hose was deteriorated and a little of the liquid splashed in my mouth. I quickly cleaned it, but I started to feel sick, like I was dying. Soon I couldn’t see - I could only hear the voices saying that I was poisoned and they should take me to a doctor quickly. That was the last thing I remembered.
When I woke up, I had been hospitalized for three days. I am now suffering with a skin infirmity. I have had many medical exams but the doctors do not know what it is. I no longer want to have anything to do with chemical pesticides. I believe that all my skin problems are due to the chemicals that landed on my body when I fumigated the melons.
I thank SHI-Panama for working with me because they are working in healthy ways, without poisons."
Participants work with SHI Field Trainers to find alternatives to harmful and expensive chemical pesticides. Farmers have found that by mixing natural ingredients, such as as hot peppers, cow urine, garlic and soap - they are able to create powerful, yet nontoxic, homemade pest-control concoctions. By using these inexpensive homemade alternatives, farmers are saving money and, more importantly, they are not exposing their families to dangerous chemicals.
Photo: Making natural pesticides using a meat grinder.
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"I just returned from a 10-day trip to Honduras with Sustainable Harvest International. That small organization with a relatively small staff ... is doing a fantastic job helping the rural areas of Honduras diversify crops and re-forest the denuded mountains of the country. [They] demonstrated a dedication and grasp of both the problems and possible solutions that I found worthy of Nobel prize recognition. The leadership of our Smaller World Tour by an employee of SHI was first-rate. We worked, we learned, we contributed. If there is truly a way to help the impoverished developing world, SHI holds the key."
Sustainable Harvest International
