About this episode
In this episode of The Good Dirt Podcast, hosts Mary Kingsley and her daughter Emma talk with Florence Reed, founder of Sustainable Harvest International, a nonprofit that has worked with smallholder farmers in Central America for over 27 years in adopting regenerative farming practices. Florence tells the story of how Sustainable Harvest International got its start, and highlights the importance of healthy soil, biodiversity, and the role of local technical assistance in fostering long-term agricultural transformation. She points out how these practices alone applied to small farms the world over could significantly contribute to the United Nations' goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Florence tells us that there are many inspiring success stories, including one that she shares about a farmer who restored his land and sent both of his daughters to college as a result of his farming success following the SHI program. The conversation offers a hopeful message about the potential for individual and collective action in combating climate change.,00:00 Introduction00:31 Welcome to the Good Dirt Podcast00:57 Guest Introduction: Florence Reed03:25 Florence Reed's Background and Motivation06:04 Early Challenges and Realizations08:05 Founding Sustainable Harvest International11:52 Initial Steps and Early Support14:22 Challenges of Slash and Burn Farming20:40 Sustainable and Regenerative Practices27:42 Community Engagement and Program Implementation30:48 Deciding Where to Work31:32 Challenges and Demand32:17 Global Impact of Small-Scale Farmers33:40 Resistance to Change in Farming Practices39:59 Success Stories and Long-Term Impact46:02 Personal Reflections and Slow Living49:16 Future Plans and Getting InvolvedLINKSSustainable Harvest International Roots of Renewal: A Film on Farming for a Hopeful FutureEliot Coleman: The New Organic GrowerBarbara Damrosch: The Garden PrimerThe Good Life: Helen and Scot Nearing's Sixty Years of Self Sufficient Living ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:
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