farmer
Discover real-world stories of communities overcoming poverty and deforestation! Plant With Purpose, a Christian non-profit, shares examples of environmental sustainability and stewardship from all around the world. These stories show us how faith, resilience, and sustainable practices transform people’s lives as well as their environment. As rural families overcome poverty and heal the planet, embrace empowerment, renewal, and hope.
All, Meditations, Updates
There's a reason God placed us right where we are.
Our homes are no mere coincidence. How often do you think about the reasons God has placed us in the physical locations where we live? Some of us might think about this quite a bit, especially if we’ve undergone a major transition or if we felt led to our current homes to work with the […]
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All, Tanzania
Harambe! Harambe!
What does it look like to come together as one? Picture a stone church on the top of a small mountain. In front of the church are garden beds, and just outside its entryway is a large patio. On the patio are a couple dozen chairs arranged in a circle. One by one, Tanzanian farmers […]
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All, Updates
How a healthy environment can keep fathers with their families
Fatherhood is extremely important. This Father’s Day, we’re taking the time to remember the importance of dads. Studies make it pretty clear that the presence of a father or father figure plays a big role in a child’s eventual success. Children with involved fathers, stepfathers, or father figures are far less likely to engage in […]
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All, Tanzania, Updates
For Julius, sustainability protects a family legacy
Julius’ farm is one of the most vibrant sites in his village. The village of Rombo sits high atop of its Tanzanian watershed. In one of the highest parts of Rombo, you’ll find a large farm growing bananas, sugar, cabbage, amongst a variety of other crops. The area surrounding the farm is a deep, lush […]
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All, Thailand
For these hilltribes, change begins in the backyard
In Northern Thailand, ethnic minorities are creating much needed sustainable change by starting right at home. Life isn’t easy for the hilltribes in Northern Thailand. As ethnic minorities, many of them are subject to various forms of persecution and discrimination. Many of them are refugees and can remember a time of having to flee to […]
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All, Mexico
Carolina and the courage to dream
As a young girl, Carolina pleaded with her father to allow her to go to school. He had not planned on sending any of his daughters to school. School fees were far too expensive and he believed home was the place for women. Immediate needs dictated life. Barren and unproductive land made it difficult to […]
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All, Thailand, Updates
Farms, Food, and Family: Khamsee’s Transformation
For years Khamsee was unable to put food on the table. Much of Thailand has grown internationally familiar as the country has boomed as a tourist hot spot in recent years. Cities like Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai see the bulk of visitors. Many of the country’s rural areas, however, garner far less attention. In […]
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All, Tanzania, Updates
Global change requires empowering locals
Solutions that really last are the ones driven by locals. When people are full-fledged participants in the process, lasting change begins. There are many cases where an organization or think-tank enters a village with a technology-driven innovation that seems guaranteed to eradicate disease, prevent droughts, or halt poverty. The local community, however, doesn't always embrace […]
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All, Tanzania, Updates
One of the hardest working people you'll ever meet
Emma provides the world with a valuable crop - coffee. As a farmer in Tanzania, she produces between 300,000 and 400,000 vegetables each week. Emma works extremely hard, digging trenches and harvesting her crops by hand. Chief among her crops is one that millions of people around the world find extremely valuable– coffee. Coffee is […]
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All, Mexico, Updates
Violence disrupted her family; now she’s fighting it by the roots
Violence plagued the village of Poblete, and disrupted Juana’s family. Juana, her husband, and their three children lived in Poblete, located in one of Mexico’s poorest areas which suffered from widespread violence. For years, the village experienced tension and crime. When environmental damage caused its farms to produce less food, things took a turn for […]
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All, Mexico, Updates
When trees go up, poverty comes down
Without trees, the rural poor are often stuck in a cycle of poverty and environmental loss. The conditions of poverty create a strain on land, and exhausted land threatens the livelihood of the farmers who live there. This was a scenario that challenged Eleuterio, a seed producer in Coatecas Altas, Mexico. Before, his community exclusively […]
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All, Haiti, Updates
Empowerment writes a different story in the hills of Haiti
Good intentions often produce harmful results in Haiti. Haiti is a hot spot for charity organizations and well-intentioned people wanting to help. The country is often recognized by its poverty as the poorest in the Western Hemisphere and the victim of natural disasters. Unfortunately, the presence of these good intentions have not always produced great […]
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All, Dominican Republic, Updates
Save money. Find something you’re good at
Marcos and Maria are a couple full of joy. The community of La Joya is nestled an hour away from Piedra Blanca in the Dominican Republic. Those living in living these rural areas often lag behind the rest of the country’s economic development. As the Dominican Republic experiences economic growth, the gap in between the […]
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All, Dominican Republic, Updates
Putting the world's biggest problems in reverse
Poverty and deforestation are harsh on vulnerable populations. For generations, the community of La Joya in the Dominican Republic relied on farming. Good production of coffee and graperfuit allowed pig and cattle farmers to produce enough for their families and people. This all started to change as deforestation began and brought many problems. A lack […]
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All, Dominican Republic, Updates
A Farmer's Purpose
Like much of the world, Andres relied on land to provide. Getting to Andres’ farm from any of the Dominican Republic’s main roads takes a series of dusty streets and switchbacks. The closer you get to the farm, the more and more it starts to look like the Garden of Eden, with coffee, bananas, cassava, […]
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