permaculture

["Bruce Maanum" <bruce@sustainableharvest.org>]

Dear Permaculture Enthusiasts,

 

As I am new to this list, I would like to first take a moment to introduce to you Sustainable Harvest International. In brief, SHI hires local extensionists to provide long-term technical support to Central American farmers to help them raise their standard of living and improve the environment through sustainable agriculture, agroforestry and reforestation. We are currently working in Panama, Nicaragua, Belize and Honduras. You can check out our website at www.sustainableharvest.org.

 

SHI Honduras recently received a generous donation of a demonstration farm. The 20 acres of land is located in the Santa Barbara District toward the Guatemalan boarder.

 

I believe that this farm presents an excellent opportunity for collaboration between permaculturists and SHI.

 

Basically, SHI extension agents deliver education to farmers to help them create sustainable systems on their farms. Many of the techniques our extensionists teach have been developed by the permaculture community.

 

Our vision for the demonstration farm is to create a sustainable agro-ecosystem with classroom training facilities on the property. Classroom training on a variety of sustainable techniques, methods and technologies will be provided that the participants can immediate work with on the farm. We feel the combination of classroom and hands-on application is the best way to learn. Farmers will also be able to see these systems working so that they will be more comfortable using them on their own farms.

 

The farm will also help to facilitate exchanges between Central American staff and participants and interns and volunteers from other countries.

 

I think the permaculture community and SHI working together on this demonstration farm would create a rich environment in which to further investigate and promote sustainability in Honduras.

 

In February and March there will be a group of students from the U.S. at the farm. They plan on constructing the first phase of the education center.

 

Ideally, I think it would be great if some people from the permaculture community could meet at the farm before and during the visit of the students to help SHI devise a farm development plan and guide the construction of the first building.

 

Our Honduran staff are always available, and I will be going to the farm in the third week of February.

 

Please let me know if this is of interest to you or anyone else you know that may be interested in working together.

 

I have attached an early iteration of the demonstration farm in a proposal to fund the building of the training center to give you a better idea of where we are headed. The building has not yet been funded, but a group of U of ME students are working hard to raise the $2500. They are also the group that will be traveling to Honduras in February.

 

I will pass along the tentative itinerary for this group in another email (in Spanish). In an effort to focus the work, I would like to coordinate schedules with this group for this phase of the project.

 

Please note that I will be in Central America for the next two weeks, so my responses to emails my be delayed.

 

Thanks much for your time and thoughtful consideration.

 

Be well,

Bruce Maanum
VP for Programs
Sustainable Harvest International
www.sustainableharvest.org
bruce@sustainableharvest.org
207.266.6834 Cell
207.664.0987 Phone
207.664.0700 Fax
81 Newbury Neck Rd
Surry, ME 04684

Attachment: SHI Honduras - Demonstration and Training Farm Proposal May 03.doc
Description: MS-Word document