Cause:

Founded in 1997 by Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Florence Reed, Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) provides farming families in Central America with the training and tools to overcome poverty while restoring our planet's tropical forests.

Action:

Sustainable Harvest International addresses the tropical deforestation crisis in Central America by providing farmers with sustainable alternatives to slash-and-burn agriculture. SHI works only in communities where they have been invited by local people. They always work in partnership with an in-country organization that shares their goals. Because their projects are locally initiated and supported by in-country organizations, the work will continue long after they have left an area.

Impact:

Sustainable Harvest International works with more than 1,000 participating families in over 100 communities in Honduras, Panamá, Belize and Nicaragua. With SHI's help, participating families and schools have planted more than 2,000,000 trees. SHI participants have also saved tens of thousands of acres of tropical forest from slash-and-burn destruction by converting thousands of acres to sustainable uses. With organic vegetable gardens, wood-conserving stoves, community loan funds and a host of other projects, participants dramatically improve their health and boost family income."