Slash-and-burn farming is quickly destroying the world’s tropical forests and the lives of small rural farmers. SHI offers families training to implement sustainable alternatives to this destruction. With the support of SHI’s trained local staff, farmers are able to grow more food for their families without destroying the rainforest.
SHI’s projects are run by the people who need them most. SHI has found that by hiring local people to offer communities long-term assistance, families are making great strides forward in adopting sustainable land-use practices such as reforestation, agro-forestry and organic farming.  (Meet the SHI staff in Panamá.)

• Families working with SHI improve their health and incomes by growing organic vegetable gardens and by planting their staple crops using sustainable techniques. They also learn to grow new crops that get a better price in both local and export markets.
• SHI has also helped many communities with a variety of micro-projects. These projects include building rice paddies, irrigation systems, biogas digesters, tree nurseries, wood-conserving stoves, chicken coops, fish ponds and silos. Hundreds of schools and women’s groups have received their assistance with many projects such as reforestation efforts, medicinal herb businesses and vegetable gardens.

Over the past seven years, SHI has helped more than 700 families in Honduras, Panamá, Belize and Nicaragua switch to sustainable land-use practices. SHI participants have planted over 1,000,000 trees that restore degraded rainforest land.

Since sustainable practices allow farmers to work one piece of land indefinitely, they do not need to destroy any more forest in order to grow food. Organic vegetable gardens improve family nutrition and agro-forestry crops; such as organic coffee and chocolate increase family income. With incomes as much as 800% higher than before SHI, participants are motivated to continue using sustainable practices.

Participating communities take responsibility for the projects themselves and look to SHI for technical training and limited material assistance.

Rather than contributing to rainforest destruction, SHI participants are preserving forests and planting trees on degraded land. They are taking control of their environmental and economic destinies.

Sustainable Harvest International’s success has been made possible by a growing number of friends around the world who provide the funding to carry out their work. They welcome new supporters to join them.

• A donation of $2,500 (or $300 a month) supports their work with an entire community for a whole year. $300 (or $25 a month) supports their work with a family.

Through their Smaller World program, SHI works with religious, school and community groups in the United States to help them connect with communities where SHI works through quarterly updates and volunteer trips.

More info is available at www.sustainableharvest.org