Business Supporter Barkwheats Dog Biscuits, travels to Belize to understand the impact of their ingredient-sourcing. Written by Chris Roberts, Barkwheats Dog Biscuits Founder & Owner

The road to Indian Creek Village was bumpy and unpaved, but green with tropical abundance. We were riding in the SHI truck with Field Trainer Robert Chavarria, cooled by A/C and shielded from the dusty road. We pulled up next to what seemed to be just trees and brush and stepped out into the humid air. A hidden driveway appeared, and we began a trek that started the next phase of my life. Little did I know the impact the next two weeks in Belize would have on me and my business, and it was all beginning with a long walk to a family farm where a Sustainable Harvest International participant was growing ginger.

Organic ginger is a primary ingredient in the dog biscuits I make, and thanks to SHI, I was now able meet the farmers growing this ginger for my biscuits. At Mariana Shol’s farm, we were greeted by her wide smile as bright as the sun shining down on us. After a short walk through a forest of cacao, her two grandchildren in tow, she stopped, bent down and began clearing away dirt and leaves to reveal ginger root growing out of the ground. I could have easily gotten lost in the canopy of palm leaves and cacao trees, but Marianna knew this land well.

Mariana is the principal farmer of her land, with her husband absent during the day working on road construction. “Is having a farm run by a woman uncommon here?” I asked Robert. “It is,” he replied. “Mariana grows 3 acres of cacao and some other vegetables and fruits on her land, mostly by herself, with some help from her children and grandchildren.”

During my visit to Belize, I met several farmers for whom cacao (used to make chocolate) is the primary cash crop to provide their family with income. As you might imagine, this dependence on one crop can have devastating effects if there is a bad crop one year, the market price drops, or if a farmer loses a large buyer for that crop. Knowing crop diversification is essential for farmers to survive these kinds of catastrophes, Sustainable Harvest International works with farmers to plant many different crops on their land. Mariana Shol is a shining example, as she now grows many crops, such as cassava, yams, cilantro, plantains, and now ginger, for income.

I was humbled to see first-hand the contribution my ginger purchase now has to the livelihood of several farmers working with SHI-Belize. While the dogs that eat my biscuits may not care who grows the ginger, I understand the importance of SHI’s programs and am honored to use my business as a means to support it.