farmers
All, Living Sustainably, Updates
5 Voices to Pay Attention to in Environmental Solutions
Good leaders are good listeners. We don't always listen like we should. Noisy conversations online and in the media show that people are anxious to be heard. The demand for good listeners is high, the supply? Not so much. However, those who want to make a big impact will learn early on that listening is essential. […]
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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, 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, Updates
DRC: The urgency of unity
Right now is a volatile time for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In February, The Economist issued a magazine cover picturing a Congolese soldier with the headline Heading back to hell: Congo in Peril. This is a headline nobody wants to see. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has endured a history of […]
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All, Updates
Time to do something
The environmental threats to our Earth demand that we do something and take action! Every year, the Earth loses enough forest to cover land the same size as the country of Panama. At this rate, it will be less than a century before its forests are gone completely. The needs of our planet are urgent, […]
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All, Thailand, Updates
Sustainability means giving beyond our own lives
Jah Cho has seen how hard life can be. In Northern Thailand you'll find dozens of small villages where several ethnic minorities live. Many tribal groups have never been granted national citizenship. Many have faced persecution from the state. It isn’t uncommon to find older adults willing to talk about how they once had 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, 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
The earthquake that changed everything and nothing
Plant With Purpose committed to showing up. Few events stand out in the memory of Plant With Purpose’s executive director Scott Sabin like the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti. As news broke on that Monday in early January, the organization had to quickly figure out how to respond to an event that claimed 300,000 lives […]
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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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