Sustainable Harvest International

4 star rating

November 12, 2006

David C. 1 review Send Message | Add to Friends

Sustainable Agriculture in Central America

I have been recently introduced to Sustainable Harvest International through a friend of mine. SHI works with local families in Belize, Nicaragua, Honduras and Panama to find alternatives to the traditional slash and burn model of agriculture. But why change what has worked for generations? I ask myself this as a minority who is interested in his own heritage and traditions.

Well, simply put over time and with increasing populations often our traditional methods of doing things can't be sustained over the long term. In the case of slash and burn the idea is clear cut away forest in order to grow crops for sustenance but necessarily for market. Over time the soil is eroded by rainfall and the nutrients washed away. To see the graphic affects of slash and burn one needs only look at a satellite image of Madagascar. There is a reason why it is called the "Island the bleeds."

SHI hires local agriculture experts referred to as extensionists to work long term with families to develop a program that can best utilize their land for sustainable agriculture. Why is this important? Well, as the rainforest shrinks we lose valuable greenery that not only serves as important habitat for wildlife but we also see a decrease in a key aspect of the world's global carbon sink. A key in maintaining weather as well as controlling global warming.

SHI is working with families to provide them with the education and resources needed for them to survive and at the same time providing benefits to sustaining the global community!

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