Flo Reed ('90) Founded Sustainable Harvest International
Flo Reed ('90) used her COLSA degree to found the non-profit organization Sustainable Harvest International. Sustainable Harvest International helps farmers in Central America reverse rainforest destruction with sustainable land-use practices that allow them to take control of their environmental and economic destinies.
In practical terms, this means teaching farmers in Nicaragua, Belize, Panama, and Honduras how to replace destructive slash-and-burn agriculture with techniques that stop soil erosion, replenish nutrient-depleted soil, and provide ways to increase and diversify crop yields. Central America has lost more than half of its rainforests in the last fifty years, contributing to mass extinctions and global warming. Since farms are often located in or near the rainforest, improving agricultural practices helps to restore and protect the rainforest habitat. It also has an immediate impact on the lives of farmers who once could not grow enough crops to feed their families, and now have a surplus they can sell for a profit.
Reed credits the University of New Hampshire, where she earned a dual degree in International Affairs and Environmental Conservation, for helping her career path evolve. Through COLSA, Reed took an "outstanding" class on forests and forest issues. She learned why the earth was losing forests and how this impacted the planet and humanity. A course focusing on world food and development issues influenced Reed in another way: the professor was a returned Peace Corps volunteer who talked with students about his experience.
Reed says, "It made me think, 'Hmn. Maybe that's something I'd like to do.'"
A range of opportunities at the University of New Hampshire prepared her to follow this path. Reed took advantage of UNH's study abroad opportunities to conduct fieldwork in Australia, learning how logging affected the habitats of nesting birds. She received academic credits for her work there, and for the summer she spent studying in Guatemala, gaining a sense of what it was like to live in a less developed country.
Back on the Durham campus, Reed got involved with the Progressive Student Network, heading the committee on Central America and forming GAIA, which has since become the Student Environmental Action Committee.
"Since the Progressive Student Network was a small organization, it forced me to take a leadership role, which taught me that I could work independently to accomplish goals," Reed says of her involvement in the student group.
By the time she graduated, Reed was ready for the Peace Corps. She trained in Costa Rica and began her sustainable agriculture extensionist work in Santa Rita, Panama. Upon her return to the U.S. Reed worked as a fundraiser for several nonprofit organizations, including INFACT and Trees for the Future. It was her dream to form a nonprofit organization focusing on reforestation in Central America. In 1997, during a return visit to Panama, a fortuitous meeting with an environmentally conscious Swiss donor helped Reed to accomplish this dream.
"I started Sustainable Harvest International with his $6,000 donation, in the in-law apartment at my parents' house. People with a wide range of expertise volunteered their time to serve on SHI's board of directors--including professors from the University of New Hampshire."
Sustainable Harvest International has worked with more than 611 families and 50 schools in Central America. Their programs are run by extensionists native to the regions they serve, increasing the independence and environmental commitment of these communities. Since 1997, SHI has converted more than 2,500 acres to sustainable uses, saving 30,000 acres from slash-and-burn destruction. They have improved nutrition through the establishment of more than 200 organic vegetable gardens; increased farm income by over 450%; and built 165 wood-conserving stoves, which also help to save the forest. Recently, Sustainable Harvest International planted their one-millionth tree.
Asked about advice she would give to UNH students who want to make a positive difference in the world, Flo Reed says:
"Don't ever be held back by the fear that you won't succeed. Often, if you have a strong desire and willingness to do something for the world, then the world will conspire to allow you to do it."
You can learn more about Sustainable Harvest International at www.sustainableharvest.org.
