Sustainable Harvest International

I like to give for the environment. Actually I feel this is my way of repaying for the good in my life.
Sustainable Harvest impacts not just the lives of individuals but also one of the most vulnerable parts of Nature, the American Tropics.
Bless you all.

They are doing numerous things to save our planet and improve the lives of their participants. One of my favorites is that teach people how to install a stove in their homes instead of having an open fire.

Thanks for all the great work that SHI is doing, and the clear impact SHI is having on lives and families across Central America. keep up the good work and efforts to reach as many people as possible and families with the work of SHI.

This organization is really inspiring. It's important to take care of the planet, and Latin America has beautiful forests that need to be protected. I really like the approach of SHI that includes farmers. It makes SHI different from other organizations.

I love how SHI helps people in low income areas and improves the environment through tree planting.

I found out about Sustainable Harvest International many years ago when searching for a highly rated non-profit to donate to. As a returned Peace Corps Volunteer myself I understand the importance of programs that promote change at the grassroots level, and that it is essential to of have those most affected by poverty and deforestation invested in the work you are trying to accomplish.
I am happy to give to this organization knowing that my money will be well spent in empowering the people and working towards saving the forests and our planet.

My family and I have been giving to SHI for years. SHI is a non-profit with a true triple bottom line approach : helping people and the planet in an economically sustainable manner that is both meaningful and lasting. I have followed their progress and growth over the years and am proud to have been a small part of the things they have accomplished.

I was looking to give to a non-profit organization with a mission in environmental stewardship and biodiversity. Sustainable Harvest International achieves these goals through teaching sustainable agriculture enabling farmers and their families to increase crop yield (so they're able to feed themselves and have extra for exchanging for the things they don't produce) while living in harmony with the land and nature rather than consuming it in their struggle to provide for their families.

As a new board member of SHI, I'm in awe of that it consistently punches above its weight. Small is indeed beautiful.

From the recent UN Food Systems Summit, the verdict is in: the world needs to immediately transition to nature-positive food systems. SHI is leading the way in demonstrating how to do this at the local level. Through its innovative programs in Belize, Honduras, and Panama, SHI is increasing household health, income sources, and resilience. Please join me in supporting these efforts.

If you believe you help save the planet promoting the sustainability of small holder farms by building soil health, come work with SHI...I'm super proud to serve on the board and to be a donor to the organization. Join us!

I have served on the board of SHI for the past several years and I continue to be impressed by the breadth of environmental and social benefits this organization's program provides to farmers in Central America, their families, and their communities. By partnering with farmers to facilitate a transformation from conventional to agriculture to sustainable practices, a chain of health, economic and environmental benefits is unleashed. The organization has partnered with thousands of farms over its almost 25 year history.

The team at SHI is small, but mighty! Their commitment to making our world a better place, combined with their vast knowledge of the environment and their passion for people will take us far as a society. I’ve worked closely with them on a pitch competition project and they are always quick to answer any questions as well as provide all of the information on SHI that you could ever need! They do all of this remotely and despite personal circumstances because that’s how much they care. I could not be more proud to work with this organization and the phenomenal people that believe in it with every ounce of their being!

The team as SHI is extremely passionate about what they do and are always striving to do more. They are all very knowledgeable, easy to talk to and consistently strive to do more. It's apparent that they genuinely love and enjoy the work that they do and I am so excited to see their progression in the future.

We have been very impressed by the progress that SHI has made in reclaiming land for sustainable food production, benefitting both the people who have learned new ways to produce their own food and the health of our planet's environment. This type of approach is needed everywhere!
In addition to their programs, they have established partnerships with other experts in sustainable agriculture, which is multiplying their impact.
We have learned a lot from the information on their web site, videos, and other materials.
It is rewarding to be able to help support these programs.

In 2016 I did my internship with SHI and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I got to know firsthand the work they do with the communities they work with and the impact they are generating in the lives of these people and above all they are changing the way communities interact with the environment and natural resources.

I have been following SHI for a few years now and took an opportunity to join some members of the organization on an inspiring trip to Panama this past winter (2020) to visit a number of farms and farmers participating in the program there.

As an organic farmer, observer of the food system, and former scientist, I am of the opinion that growing your own food on a local level with as few inputs as possible is the only truly sustainable way for humans to continue producing and consuming food on this planet. SHI empowers willing participants to do just that. Through this process, more carbon is stored in the soil, the effects of climate change are mitigated, the lives of participant families are improved, and essential knowledge is gathered. The work of these farmers and the work of SHI not only benefit those taking up the effort to grow their own food but benefit present and future life on Earth.

I have been a donor for many years. Their work is amazing, and I was hooked when I heard the stories of volunteer work where the board of directors went down to work with farming families who were in various phases of the 5 year training program. On one farm, they installed a watering system on a super steep hillside, that was so hard to water before, and now it is super easy! SHI's work usually starts with building a latrine, to keep their water from being contaminated and making their whole family sick. They also work with each farming family and talk about what kind of crops they would like to grow - to creating a varied batch of foods to grow with multi story cropping, not just all corn. So if they plant a mahogany tree that must grow for many years before it becomes valuable as timber, how do they keep farmers from chopping them down too soon - grow vanilla bean vines up on the mahogany trees! To restore soli, they have ways to introduce nitrogen (bio char and a fast growing nitrogen fixing plant (the name I forgot, but it can grow in the worst soil) , and to keep the soil healthy they can build a moveable chicken coop - the chicken poop is fertilizer. And how to grow and plant seedlings. SHI installs wood conserving stoves in families homes which improves conditions and reduces asthma! Children's diets improve so they are not suffering from malnutrition. I mean how ironic is it that farmers children have been suffering from malnutrition? There are so many clever things that they teach farming families, I am always amazed. My daughter is serving on the board now, and I could not be prouder of her!

Sustainable Harvest International has over 20 years of on-the-ground experience in Latin America, employing local experts to work with farmers to improve soil health through regenerative agriculture practices, including agroforestry, composting, and diversifying crops. This has led to the planting of thousands of trees to replace those lost by destructive practices such as slash-and-burn farming and to improved nutrition and livelihoods. It's an incredible organization doing pragmatic work tying together social and environmental benefits.

I have supported this non profit from the beginning, having known its founder when she was just out of the Peace Corps. The founder is creative, smart, driven, caring and dedicated - and she has built an amazing team of super talented people. Very well run and efficient. Their work helps heal the earth, rejuvenating the soil - in rural communities, they work with farming families giving long term training in organic methods of farming. This helps families eat better with a more varied diet, and allows them to have surplus produce to sell. The farming methods sequester carbon, so it helps clean the air we all breath.

Sustainable Harvest International is Good for the Environment, Good for People.

SHI has been serving communities and families for decades and I am always amazed at the impact an organization of this size is having in the communities they operate. Management of the programs is top-notch with a strong financial position. I have to admit this is one of the best outcomes of improving lives of families in rural communities while saving the environment for generations. Keep up the good work!

I learned about SHI when I was serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama. I was able to observe first hand the amazing work that SHI does. Since I returned I stay in touch with my community and the community tells me how much they appreciate the support it gets from SHI, especially during the hard times of COVID 19.

SHI is a incredible organization with compassionate leaders. There work in regenerative agriculture and education across Central America has helped 3,000 low-income, rural families to adopt regenerative agriculture practices on 30,000 acres of land including the planting of 4 million trees.

Sustainable Harvest International work with the small farmers to preserve the environment across Sustainable practices of agriculture. I was doing my internship with them in 2016 and it was a great experience.

Sustainable Harvest International embodies and holds true to values of dignity and partnership. Working at the nexus of food security/nutrition and environmental conservation, farmers working with SHI have regenerated thousands of acres of land that support thousands of smallholder farmers. In a world where farming families are facing the double crisis of climate change and the impacts of the global pandemic, it is comforting to know that organizations like SHI exisit. They have continued to diligently empower farmers with tools and capacity to confront and overcome the negative impacts of climate change and COVID.

Sustainable Harvest International is a nonprofit with an incredible, devoted, innovative team and an even more impactful mission. SHI shows great promise as it scales up its operations, having proven to be effective in four different countries with four completely different climates and cultures. I have gone from being a donor to an intern at SHI and in every phase of my involvement with the organization I have been blown away by its magnitude, its devotion to real change, and its intentional community.

This organization walks the walk! They work hand in hand with farming families in Central America, providing the support and technologies needed for healthy livelihoods and a healthy planet. Keep up the great work, SHI!

From the moment I set foot on a small village in Santa Barbara-Honduras, I could tell that SHI was making a great impact in the lives of the 30 participants assign to the project. I was lucky to be part of a Church women's trip in 2009 and spent 10 days working along side the small farmers and their families. They were elated that we had traveled so far to spend time with them and visit their humble homes. SHI has provided tools and knowledge for a better way to plant without using the slash/burning practice that is so common in Central America They also provide materials to build a very efficient burning stove with a chimney creating a healthier environment for the women and children who spend most of their time inside the house. All the practices are sustainable and organic, no pesticides but the most important part is that is a partnership with the farmers to increase access to healthy food and income. I got so impressed that I became involved first as a volunteer and now as a Board member. SHI has my fully support!

Sustainable Harvest International, s una organización que transforma realidades, sus fondos son distribuidos con mucha ética en las comunidades, el modelo que se sigue dignifica al ser humano y permite lograr cambios en los países. La interacción con instituciones cono la Universidad EARTH ha permitido generar investigación y oportunidades para que los estudiantes puedan aportar con sus capacidades a seguir mejorando la calidad de vida de las familias.

Sin duda, SHI es una organización de respeto y de alta excelencia.

sustainable Harvest International supported me with a full funded internship through my education process as as agricultural student at EARTH Univerity. SHI is a leading and examplary in sustainable agricultural practices and works gard to transform a farmer/ villager from the roots. SHI has been able to turn abandoned lands into fertile farms, tught rural people how to eat and prepare balanced diet. Unlike other NGOs, SHI evaluates annually its efficiency towards the communites they impact. SHI is worth to learn from. SHI surpasses the odds of NGO´s.

Great organization...years of on-the-ground effort to create and refine a very effective and efficient program that has worked for over 3000 small family farmers who have participated...most donated funds used to support knowledgeable and experienced Central American farmer-trainers who work with individual families in a successful 5-year long program that focuses on self-sufficiency and long-term environment protection...efficient bare-bones American-based staff...big local Central American demand to grow this program...I'm proud to donate and know that My donation can make a difference!

Two of the most pressing issues facing Latin America and the lesser-developed world are the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation and the challenges associated with people improving their livelihood. Sustainable Harvest International is able to transform the lives of countless farming families with relatively small resources. Some organizations provide a quick fix. Sustainable Harvest International builds long term human capacity to improve livelihoods and steward the environment. I wouldn't volunteer my time and choose this organization as the main target of my donations and volunteer time if this weren't the case.

On our visit to SHI projects in Panama in February we were impressed with the hard working farmers, the know how and dedication of the local SHI staff as well as with the vision and perseverance of Florence Reed, the founder of SHI.

Sustainable Harvest International is doing amazing things! Their unique approach is founded on the truth that "environmental degradation and rural poverty are unavoidably linked.”
In partnership with rural farming families, Sustainable Harvest is replacing damaging agricultural practices with techniques that stop deforestation and sustain the land for strong, self-supporting farming families.

SHI is a wonderful organization that really, truly cares about the program members. I had the opportunity of going with them to Honduras to build chicken coops and install wood-conserving stoves in homes. Every engagement with people was friendly, warm and educational. They are part of the community and approach everything they do from that angle. They're truly a world-class nonprofit.

I've been fortunate to travel to Panama with Sustainable Harvest International to see the positive impact this organization has on local farming communities - from preserving and restoring forests and healthy soil to improving the economic and health conditions of farming families and communities. I'm proud to support Sustainable Harvest International and its important work on issues of food security and climate change.

This organization is my role model for everything I am trying to do in my own Central American community. I love what they are doing; especially having it directed by the people and outward to their communities. Great work.

I love what Sustainable Harvest does to help promote sustainability by helping farmers around the world take care of the land, farm more efficiently, and reduce poverty!

Sustainable Harvest International's programs promote sustainability and conservation on multiple levels: preservation of rain forest, enhanced productivity of crop land, enhanced nutrition and healthier families, improved food supplies for communities, and even greater financial security for families and woman-run enterprises and economic opportunity for their communities. SHI does all this with a notably cost-effective organization; contributors get an exceptionally high return on their investment in the work of Sustainable Harvest International. We are SHI supporters for life.

This is an exceptional organization that has grown in leaps and bounds in the past 18-20 years, aiding small farmers and growers (and their families) not only with terrific changes in quality of life but also with improved farming techniques that better protect soils and surrounding forests. It sounds dramatic to say but I have been moved to tears more than once when I've heard the stories of profound change that have helped propel these villages and communities into improved living circumstances while simultaneously improving the ecology of the land, forests and streams around them. Sustainable Harvest is efficient in their work, they aim to educate and do so with humility and awareness of the existing community while supporting its autonomy as well. They deserve the highest marks for their diligence and vision.

This is a terrific organization making a difference at the micro level with farming families in Central America and at the macro level with the enviroment and our planet. Farming families are improving their lives by growing more and more varied food. Better health and more income are the direct results. The sustainable methods they learn result in a significant decrease in the slashing and burning of the rain forest. Trees are planted to provide food such as fruit, nuts, coffee, and cacoa.

Sustainable Harvest International is our favorite non-profit; the first choice for our non-profit contributions. The work of SHI preserves our environment, alleviates poverty, supports family enterprise and helps women become self-sufficient. SHI is efficiently managed and delivers huge benefits for every dollar it receives.

SHI is making a difference in the lives of farmers and their families in Central America. I have had the opportunity as a volunteer to work with SHI programs in Belize and Panama, and the experience was life changing. It quickly became apparent to me that The SHI model truly works. I was so impressed with this organization that I became a committee member for several years, and am now serving my second year as a board member.

I have been involved with non-profit organizations for over 40 years as a staff member, board member, board chair, and as a volunteer. I have found SHI to be a truly unique organization in a variety of very positive ways. SHI's small staff accomplishes amazing things.
It is addressing some of the most important global issues such as climate change on a local level. By teaching farmers how to grow healthy vegetables through organic farming, SHI is is able to provide healthy food for families and to market their excess crops thereby generating some income for their families.
SHI's 5 phase program usually takes about 5 to 6 years to complete. It is a comprehensive plan that produces outstanding results. An additional benefit of SHI's program is that, by teaching farmers how to grow their crops using organic methods, they no longer engage in the traditional slash and burn techniques which have been destroying the tropical rain forests which is a leading cause of climate change.
I am very proud to be associated with such a worthwhile organizations which has a record achieving outstanding results.

I have seen the impacts of Sustainable Harvest International's work in communities in Belize and Panama. Not only do participant families learn to plant healthy foods in a sustainable manner--while preserving tropical forests--but they also feel empowered in many aspects of their lives. Women have noted that learning to cultivate food and often earn income has helped them take on new leadership roles in their community. Individuals who formerly had little access to education now have the confidence and resources to send their children off to school. And communities feel empowered to come together around any issue, challenge, or opportunity as a result of their work with Sustainable Harvest International. SHI changes peoples' lives and those changes even ripple out to impact others in the community for the better.

Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) achieves remarkable results with a lean budget. Working on the ground in Central America, SHI helps poor farmers dramatically improve their lives using organic farming techniques, agroforestry and diversification of crops. Families also plant thousands of trees to protect watersheds and curtail erosion. SHI is truly a gem!

Sustainable Harvest International is an amazing non-profit! SHI has tremendous positive impact on the people they work with. I volunteered with SHI and saw first hand how small farmers lives were dramatically improved when they were taught susatinable alternative practices to slashing and burning the rainforest. Flo Reed, SHI's founder is making the world a better place. I greatly admire her dedication and the incredible work SHI has done!

I have volunteered for Sustainable Harvest International as a translator for the past year and it has been nothing but a pleasant experience. They go out of their way to help me feel valued and appreciated and are constantly thanking me for me time and my efforts to help them out. Additionally, whenever they send me more material to translate, they are very considerate of my time and other commitments and are flexible with the time-frame in which I return the translated documents to them. Whenever they do have a more urgent assignment for me, they let me know with as much heads-up as possible and are even more grateful when I can help them in a crunch! SHI has not only been great to work with, but it also makes me feel really honored to get to work with and help out an organization that is doing such great, crucial work in the Americas. The projects SHI has implemented are key to promoting food security and more sustainable development in that part of the world and I am proud to support them!

In the 6th grade, I had the opportunity to travel to Panama through SHI with a small group of family friends and school acquaintances. Sustainable harvest changed my whole perspective on how to go into a remote community and offer recourses and knowledge in a manner that is not invasive. Ever since that experience, I can't wait to get to my fund raising goal for another trip with a group of high school friends. I can't wait to perfect my Spanish, and be able to have conversations with people I come across. That trip made me see the true value of collaboration, and communication with people from different backgrounds and fields of knowledge.
I would highly recommend an SHI service trip to everyone!

I recently join SHI Board and am enthusiastic about the efficacy of the programs, board and SHI Staff. The programs aimed and improving the well being and quality of life in rural areas of Central America are impressive and inspiring. I'm proud to be volunteering for this organization and belief in the vital work and support they are providing to improve lives while restoring vital tropical rain forests.

Sustainable Harvest is a remarkable organization at a break-out stage in its evolution. After spending its first 12-14 years refining its mission and developing a proven process, it has been transformed into an even more effective and capable organization by creating an efficient executive team and small staff to support its dynamic founder. The work that SHI does in Central America is fantastic and the impact on program participants is profound. With a strong core organization and focus on good governance, SHI is well positioned to grow the impact of its outstanding program.

I have been a board member of SHI for two years and am very impressed with the knowledge, dedication and spirit of cooperation of both the board and staff. SHI works to lift families out of poverty in four Central American countries by providing field trainers who promote sustainable farming methods instead of traditional slash and burn. Results to date have shown improved nutrition and added income which pays for school fees and other needs. Benefits to the planet include improving the farm soil, preventing erosion, planting trees and improving biodiversity. During my visit to Belize I saw the results first hand and got to meet the dedicated and enthusiastic field trainers. It is important to me that SHI uses residents of the country as field trainers rather than US experts.

My husband and I went to Belize a few years back and volunteered alongside the Agricultural agents who work directly with the farmers and their familys. We met some of the most wonderful and appreciative people who benefit from all the work that SHi does with them and for them. AS a long time donor, it was great to directly meet the people who our money is going to help. SHI knows what it is doing, and spends my money well. They can see and measure their work to prove it works. Their goal is to continue to help more farmers and hopefully grow to help farmers in other Central American countries.

My wife and I have been on 7 trips to Central America as an "agricultural missionary" with Sustainable Harvest. We have visited farmers in all four of the SHI countries and have always been impressed with the high quality work done by SHI local staff in each country. Although other residents of these very poor communities try to migrate north for a better life, we have never met a family from the SHI program who needed to leave their country to survive. They have learned how to grow nutritious cash crops.

Still a wonderful organization and getting better every year. The level of commitment of everyone involved is unparalleled. Overhead is low, the funds are strategically spent, the results show. Audits are performed to ensure that the money goes where it is supposed to: the participant families. Thank you, SHI, for giving me hope!

I finished a three-year board term with Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) in June 2014. I was honored to be invited to join their board and enjoyed my experience immensely. SHI's staff and board are passionate about the work they do and it is making a life-changing positive impact to the families they serve in Central America and to the biodiversity and health of our planet by saving our tropical forests and raising people out of poverty.

I'm continuing to volunteer for and donate to SHI because of the results they produce and I see the potential and possibilities for their work model to aid other countries and people. I hope you'll join me in supporting them.

I have been inspired by the vision, goals and work of Sustainable Harvest International ever since hearing its founder and executive director, Florence Reed, speak at the annual National Peace Corps Association conference in 2012 in Minneapolis. That afternoon Flo was awarded the Sargent Shriver award for creating a successful paradigm that has been used repeatedly for assisting subsistence farmers and their neighbors to improve crop yields and diversify harvests, using earth-friendly, community-friendly, and sustainable methods. At this time Sustainable Harvest is looking into extending its efforts from the countries of Belize, Panama, Nicaragua and Honduras in Central America to other continents. I am excited to have the opportunity to play some part in realizing this vision.

I have been involved in not for profit organizations as a staff member and board member for over 40 years. Much of my work over the past 25 years has been in the international field, primarily in Africa, Asia, and Europe. I became aware of SHI through a contact with Flo Reed, SHI's founder. The more I researched the work that they are doing in four Central American countries, the more convinced I became that this was an organization worth supporting with my donations. As I became more knowledgeable about what SHI was able to accomplish, my commitment to SHI became even stronger and I agreed to serve on its board. SHI has a great leadership group in the US that works together in support of the programs in Central America. I have visited SHI programs in Panama and Belize and will be visiting SHI programs in Honduras in February 2015. I have seen firsthand how the SHI programs are transforming farming in these communities. It has virtually eliminated the slash and burn method of farming. It has created a far more diverse and healthier diet for the families. The crops are rotated and are grown using organic methods. It is a real win for preserving the rain forests, a win for the families in eating a far healthier diet, and finally a win producing food that can be sold at local markets, which also helps the financial position of the families.

My favorite non-profit organization! I love the concept of providing sustainable agricultural education to the people in Latin America. Having read a bit about tropical sciences including agriculture issues, I truly appreciate the mission of Sustainable Harvest International. As a donor I like how well they keep me continuously informed with the progress they make.

Since 2008 I have made 10 trips to visit family farms and in some cases, live in the homes with the families: 5 as a Board member visiting farms in all 4 countries and 5 as a volunteer visiting and working in farming communities around Trinidad, Honduras. Each time I have come away deeply impressed with the dedication and sensitivity of the field trainers and the pride and motivation of the farming families. I see the sense of empowerment as they chose to learn new more environmentally-friendly and healthy alternatives to slash-and-burn agriculture and to plant a variety of vegetables that they previously had to buy -- when they had the money to do so. The progress in the communities which I visit each year with a group from Washington DC has been astounding. There are productive gardens near the homes; there are fields with basic crops (corn and beans), a huge variety of vegetables and herbs, and "forest gardens" where mahogany and coffee plants shade smaller crops like ginger.

I wish I could take everyone interested in SHI to meet Don Noe of La Majada. Noe farms less than two acres, but he is so proud of the crops he is harvesting. His land even yields coffee seedlings which he can sell for a good price to nearby large-scale coffee growers. Photos of Noe show such happy eyes and broad smile!

Great non-profit doing wonderful work to help people feed themselves and improve their lives with minimal impacts to their environment.

SHI has continued to use local personnel to educate the poorest farmers to be more self sufficient and avoid harmful chemicals and activities. It is a system to help the soil regenerate and for their family to eat better. It is a great organization with constant reviews of its processes and results.

SHI was established by former Peace Corp Volunteer Florence Reed in 1997 to serve farmers in four countries of Central America in learning sustainable farming techniques and has become so much more than that. Grown from Flo's deeply held values SHI allows poor farmers to take responsibility for reversing environmental degradation and achieving economic viability within their own countries. The most amazing thing is that after 16 years this organization is thriving with 60 percent of its support coming from individuals who believe in the mission and want to ensure its capacity to work with farmers and communities. More amazing is that this tiny organization returns 83 percent of its $1.6 million budget to programs that serve 4 affiliate offices in 4 countries and thousands of men, women, and children. I love this organization and it's no wonder that Ms. Reed has been named to the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows Program and received the 2012 Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service from the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA).

My church has worked with SHI for several years, supporting them financially, sending youth groups to work every other summer and adult groups as interest allows. My own experience on an adult trip of women working with women in two communities was so satisfying. I saw the dollars I had given being used to change people's lives in positive ongoing ways. Participants' gardens were proof that they were improving the soil and producing good food for their families - no more need to slash and burn! The other thing that impressed me is how much SHI commits in-country developing and using local personnel to support their mission. This is a lean and lovely organization - one that I am happy to support with my money and time. Tucker H.

my grandson and i volunteered with SHI last summer in the jungles outside Punta Gorda, Belize. It was an incredible experience for both of us. SHI had the supplies needed tht couldn't be found at the family home; they educated and guided the families; their intent was to help the families maximize the use of their lands without contaminating the land or water available to them. They presented everything in a simple easy to understand manner for both the families and the volunteers. this was the best experience i could give to my grandson about giving back to the community, the global community.

After working in a farming community for a week in Honduras, I came home committed to supporting the work of SHI. they support in-country staff to help individuals become self-sustaining farmers and entrepreneurs using moderately priced, low-tech and locally available resources. As a result, I saw first-hand how lives were improved by the work that SHI does, family by family.

My family and I have been donating to SHI for the past 7 years, since our son was born. We wanted to do something to celebrate his birth so we decided to plant a tree in his honor. We planted one in our yard and donated to SHI so that many more trees could be planted in the rain forest. The more we read about the good work SHI was doing, the more we wanted to donate. Now we give gifts of hope to our family and friends to celebrate their special occassions. SHI's ability to combine short-term relief for people in poverty with long term, sustainable changes is very important to us.

I work for Votenet Solutions, Inc. and we honor and award new customers by making a donation to SHI to plant new trees. Depending on the products a customer buys, we plant from 5 to 30 tress per customer, in their honor. We have been running this program since 2007 and are continuously pleased with the high-integrity programs that SHI runs.

My name is Terry Gibson. I have been translating quarterly reports from Spanish into English for SHI for about two years now. I discovered SHI on-line while researching for my MBA of Sustainable Business at Marylhurst University in Portland Oregon. The reports that I have received to translate from communities in Panama, Nicaragua, and Honduras have given me a valuable look at the wonderful work SHI is doing in remote locations that have very few options, if any, to earn money to send their children to school, start home-based businesses, and restore the environment using sustainable agricultural practices. The success stories and testimonials that I have translated not only inform me about how critical the SHI mission is to those most in need, but in a model that does not patronize or lock them into destructive globalization strategies. SHI truly helps these communities, sometimes one family at a time, but more often raising the hopes and living standards of entire communities in sustainable ways. SHI gives a hand up, not a hand out. I know of no other organization working in Central America with their track record of success at practical sustainable agriculture.

My daughter and I traveled to the Toledo district of southern Belize last December. We learned of the efforts of SHI through the Cotton Tree Lodge where we stayed. They helped us set up a day of volunteering with Herminio Cho and another SHI worker at a Mayan home in Santa Teresa village. We helped the Max family with a vegetable garden on their property, discussed the importance of keeping a compost pile to add nutrients back to the soil, and enjoyed a wonderful, simple meal together. Sustainable Harvest is making a lasting impact in the lives of native Mayans of Belize and eco-tourists who visit the area and want to help out.

It's so hard today to know where to direct your charity dollars to. I used to give to a large charity that builds houses. I've was looking for a way to celebrate a friends 50th birthday and stumbled across this charity. I was so impressed with their work, I have now switched over my charity donations. Their name says it all: Substainable and Harvest. They work directly with people to change their lives in a way values the environment in an area crucial to our ecosystem. Letting them earn enough money to build their own houses and build a foundation for their children's education and future. Keep up the great work!

I have been aware of the work Sustainable Harvest has done for years. The tremendous beneficial change they make in people's lives and livelihood is nothing short of phenomenal. Especially when one considers the amazing things done with the resources they have. Their heart and soul is based in the purest of intentions for helping others. Kudos to SHI and all the tremendous workers on their staff.

I love supporting Sustainable Harvest International because so much is accomplished with seemingly little funds. Participants learn that growing food sustainably is great for their family's health and also profitable! Many trees have been planted to reforest land that was cleared, leading to improved water quality and reduced erosion. The amazing improvement in the quality of life for participants causes others to want to work with SHI as well, leading to community-wide impacts. I do hope to travel with SHI someday.

I had a chance to volunteer with SHI in Belize toward the end of 2011. My esperience was an excellent one, and the projects I worked on were planting pineapples and various types of trees, and helping to build wood conserving stoves. The people from SHI were very pleasant to work with.

I had the opportunity to travel to Panama and volunteer with SHI in 2011. It was a wonderful experience and I was able to see firsthand how this organization has had an extremely positive impact on the participants in their programs. Many of those in the village in which I volunteered couldn't stop talking about how their lives had changed after participating in programs led by the local field staff. I have found that SHI combines two areas of importance to me: preservation of the environment and empowering people to overcome poverty. I will continue to donate to SHI and hope to participate in a Smaller World Tour again in the future.

I always balance my business instinct for due diligence, with my intuition. Call it a decision making marriage between my brain and my gut. Metrics matter, but Karma is king. And SHI plants Karmic seeds aplenty, while also ensuring they grow.

When my daughter and I started our research to identify the best possible charity to support for the service component of her Bat Mitzvah project, Sustainable Harvest International wasn’t even on our radar. There are simply so many other well known causes competing for attention that we almost missed the gem that is SHI. Thank goodness we didn’t.

We had set a high bar. We wanted a cause that simultaneously attended to rain forest preservation and economic empowerment for the rural poor. My daughter was equally passionate about saving the planet and directly improving people’s lives. Moreover, we wanted assurance that our efforts would strongly impact those in need, and we wanted to feel a connection to the organization and the people who run it. We had questions, and requests, and tight deadlines. The efficient, warm and responsive staff at SHI gave us concierge level attention, but with the twinkle you get from people who are motivated by mission instead of money. They were fast, thorough and endearing.

Give to SHI and know that your money will go far to help people (and plants) a world away, and your generosity will touch their servants right here in the USA.

J. Sheldon Snodgrass, MBA
The Steady Sales Group
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413-244-2294
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I chose to support SHI because through their work, they captured the essence of what I believed was most important: A balance between preserving nature while creating better futures for the rural poor in Central America. They do incredible work and put such tremendous effort into the projects they start. I did a short presentation/house party a few months ago in which I showed the "Planting Hope" video, talked about SHI, and answered some questons. SHI made it easy for me to do this by sending me the video, and supplying me with brochures, envelopes, catalogs, etc. They even sent me a t-shirt and chocolate bar! Through this entire process, SHI has been incredibly helpful and supportive. I highly recommend this unique charity if you would like to help the earth and people at the same time. SHI is an outstanding organization that most definitely deserves our support.

In full disclosure, I am a member of Sustainable Harvest International's small staff in the US. I have had the great pleasure of being a part of SHI's work over the years and can tell you with confidence that as a staff we are dedicated, enthusiastic and passionate about the programs we carry out in the field. We pride ourselves on organizational efficiency and work hard to ensure that funds are put to work contributing to valuable community projects ending poverty and deforestation in rural Central America.
SHI's local staff in Central America are experts in sustainable farming practices and give families the tools, training and support to improve their quality of living while restoring the environment. The organization's grass-roots approach is reversing cycles of poverty and slash and burn farming while empowering families to grow healthy food and strengthen communities. This is an organization I am proud to work for, work I am proud to do and I am especially grateful to all the generous volunteers and donors who make our programs possible.

While completing my thesis work in International Development I had the privilege to work with the Sustainable Harvest Honduras program for 6 months from 2010 to 2011. I worked both in the field visiting SHI participant families as well as in the office with local and international staff where I focused on monitoring and evaluation of SHI program effectiveness and impact. I was continually impressed by the personal and life changing stories I heard from farmers and their families throughout my time there. After working in development in West Africa, where I witnessed a great deal of failed projects and misguided development programs, my time evaluating the impact of SHI programs renewed my faith in the overall impact that small scale development programs can have on the lives of many.

I have been a supporter of SHI for around 6 years. I find that they fulfill my liking to donate to environmental causes, but they also fulfill the humanist charitable donation also. They have recieved a score of 4 in the Charity Navigator for years, so I know that my money goes where it is needed. I get just enough updates over email (never so much, never too little to be forgotten), which always put a smile on my face. By supporting SHI I feel I am doing a really GOOD THING!

I volunteered with SHI-Belize in 2009 while a student at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. SHI's deep commitment to restore forest while assisting farming families overcome poverty is most impressive and appreciated when interacting with the people in the field. The innovation of the field staff who work diligently working with makes a significance for every family either through family gardens, wood efficient stove, agro-forestry, composting or providing training to a local group of farmers and women. The three month experience helped me learn new skills, grow personally and professionally. SHI influenced my career and now I am studying for a M.Sc. in Sustainable Agriculture. I encourage more people to take the time to visit SHI's website: http://www.sustainableharvest.org/, participate or support them in any way possible.

I had the privilege of working alongside the staff and board of the Panama program for more than a year and I observed and experienced an extremely high level of devotion to advancing sustainable organic farming practices and replenishing rainforests, while equipping poor rural farming families to change their own lives. I was continually blown away by their ability to accomplish so much for so many with so little. Donors can expect their gifts to be used to change lives and improve the environment. If you don’t believe me, just make a gift and SHI will invite you to go to Panama or to one of the other countries served where you will see your gift in action.

I've been amazed to see SHI really mature into a professional, growing organization and crystallize the focus of their work in Central America. SHI really sets a high benchmark for other environmental non-profits to reach, both in the field and administratively. Great work!!!

I knew I had dedicated myself to the right work after hearing a program participant in Panama explain that before working with SHI, she felt that she had no value in the world even to her own children who she was struggling to feed. She said that after just a few years working hard with SHI, however, she now feels that she is an importan person for her family, her community and our planet as a whole.

This charity is based on the premise that agriculture and particularly subsistance agriculture can be sustainable unlike the traditional slash and burn agriculture of the rain forest. Florence and her crew train farmers in subsistance agriculture and then have agents in place to help as they learn and apply the subsistance principles. This group supplies farmers with the seeds and techniques they need for a completely sustainable farm for individual subsistance as well as cash crops like cacao. A great way to invest your money in third world economic development