By Florence Reed flo@sustainableharvest.org
As friends of Sustainable Harvest International, Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) wants you to be among the first to know about the noteworthy changes SHI has in store in the coming months and years.
SHI is proud of what it has accomplished over the past twenty years. It has planted four million trees while working with 3,000 families to transform degraded land into regenerative farms. At the same time, SHI recognizes that too many rural families continue to live in poverty and feel they have no choice but to destroy forests in an attempt to grow enough food to feed their household. And the realities of the climate crisis are getting harder and harder to ignore. Intensifying hurricanes, droughts, and flooding are becoming more common throughout Central America, and indeed, across our entire planet. These environmental realities have significant economic, cultural, and security consequences for us all.
SHI is confident that its successful program can play a leading role in resolving these critical global problems. The SHI Board of Directors recently approved the following scaling vision: “Through regenerative agriculture, Sustainable Harvest International will work directly with farmers, and with partners who will replicate our methodology, to halt and reverse the degradation of eight million acres on one million farms and achieve food security for five million people by 2030.” This scaling vision aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Life on Land and Zero Hunger, while also promising to impact others such as Good Health and Well-being, Decent Work and Economic Growth, No Poverty, and Climate Action.
SHI’s program has been recognized by well-respected institutions such as Charity Navigator, Food Tank, and 1% For the Planet for its innovative and lasting impact. SHI is now ready to play a leading role in a global paradigm shift from destructive farming methods to regenerative practices that nourish our planet and all the life it supports. To that end, SHI Founder, Florence Reed, recently adopted the title Director of Strategic Growth to reflect her focus on the imperative to scale up our global impact. At the same time, with the imminent departure of the highly respected SHI Executive Director of the past six years, Renée Johnson, a search is under way for a new executive director who shares the SHI mission and values and possesses skills and experience to lead the organization as it embarks on this exciting new chapter. The position has been officially posted, but expressions of interest as well as feedback and suggestions are welcome at any time via e-mail or telephone at 207-669-8254. Committing to our new scaling vision of halting and reversing the degradation of eight million acres on one million farms and achieving food security for five million people by 2030 is a bold step SHI is proud to take at this critical moment in time.
