Sustainable Harvest International

After leaving Copan, we hit the road and headed into the mountains to begin working with Sustainable Harvest International (SHI). We arrived at the training center after an interesting ride which included a van to pick-up switch that was necessary to combat the mud from 10 days of straight rain (during the dry season). Sleeping arrangements were dormitory style, and after placing our travel gear in our rooms we set out to learn about our surroundings. Acobo, the training center manager, showed us some basic uses of the property including the various foods grown there: passion fruit, avocados, bananas, plantains, beans, pineapple and others. Being 100% organic there were some differences between this farm and the others in the area. Unlike typical farms, this place did not have a monoculture of one crop, but the plants were varied, and often native. Fertilizers came from crop rotation and compost. There weren't any pesticides used, and Acobo said there was a type of plant which could be added to the soil as a form of pest control when needed. One of my favourite discoveries from the trip (and now the first of many we have seen) was a biodigester. Essentially this very simple technology uses the pig waste to produce methane gas which is then piped directly to the kitchen to fuel the cooking stove. This helps to prevent deforestation by providing an alternative to a wood burning stove. We finished our day with a presentation by Mercedes, another member of the SHI staff, explaining to us the overall goals of SHI, their local partner FUCOHSO, and how both organizations were helping to educate local communities and school groups on ways to sustainably farm the land. This was one of my favourite stops on our trip and one that will stay with me for years to come.

~Amanda