Walking off the hot dusty road into a multi-story plot of cacao (the tree that gives us chocolate) can be a shock to the senses. The air feels cool and moist on your skin, the soil soft under your feet and you can smell the spices that have been planted in the shade. Specks of sunlight dance through green leaves of cedar, rosewood and mahogany. Perhaps best of all, you can hear birds which are making their homes in the "forest garden" all around you.
During a recent visit to an SHI participant's farm in Southern Belize, field trainer, Candido Chun explained, "This land wasn't producing much for the family. We helped them to transplant hundreds of seedlings - all organically. We plant the cacao seedlings with other trees that will give the cacao shade. At the ground level they can grow things like vanilla, yellow ginger and cardamom. You can grow coffee, bananas and other trees in with the cacao, too. When you plant the trees in harmony, they will put nutrients in the soil. It all grows together and gives the family a lot to harvest."
Belize Program Director, Nana Mensah, estimates that 150,000 cacao trees have been planted by SHI participant families in the past two years and that SHI families growing 
cacao are making an additional $750 US a year from selling the cacao beans in addition to their other crops. "$750 can have a big impact on a family in Belize who has been living in poverty." Nana tells us, "They use the money they make to buy school supplies for their children, buy land, start businesses, buy medicine and make things better for themselves. This is what we call a hand up."
Everyone at SHI loves chocolate, but not just because it's delicious. Chocolate is improving the quality of life for the families we work with and restoring the environment. SHI's local staff are providing farmers with training in how to care for their cacao using natural pest control, compost, pruning and grafting. Our field trainers are helping farmers find markets and diversify what they grow. Families are taught how to save the best seeds so they can plant more trees for future generations and increase their yields. Sustainably grown cacao is making a world of difference!
Wishing you lots of yummy organic chocolate this Valentine's Day,
Your Friends at SHI
Give Your Valentine Something Really Sweet
Plant an Acre of Chocolate in Honor of Your Love
Your Valentine will receive a beautiful card and delicious tropical chocolate sauce!
Families working with Sustainable Harvest International's programs in Central America are growing cacao in organic, multi-story "forest gardens." These forests protect soils, mitigate global warming, and provide a home for wildlife.
A $40 donation will provide farmers with seeds, nursery materials and training to plant one acre of multi-story cocoa. Your Valentine will receive a beautiful card announcing your gift and a jar of Robin's Tropical Dark Chocolate Sauce made with organic shade-grown cacao.
A beautiful card and chocolate gift will be sent to your loved one and your financial support will help SHI's 2,000+ participants address the issues of poverty and deforestation.
Click here to place your order while chocolate supplies last!
Many thanks to Robin's Chocolate for their support!
Sustainable Chocolate Adventure in Belize!
May 20 - 26, 2008
Join Sustainable Harvest Belize for an unforgettable journey into the ecology, history and culture of chocolate. Participants will stay at Cotton Tree Lodge and take part in cacao production from seed to chocolate. Activities will include touring family farms, planting trees and building wood-conserving stoves that greatly reduce toxic smoke in the home and can be used to roast cacao as well as cook family meals. The trip will coincide with the the Toledo Cacao Festival with music, dancing and a celebration of the flavor of Southern Belize.
Program fee: $2,500 includes a donation to support the local SHI program, all materials, accommodations, meals, sight-seeing excursions, in-country transportation and staff support.
Space is limited! Please contact our office to reserve your spot today! Click here for more information.
Sustainable Harvest International • 779 North Bend Rd. Surry, ME 04684 • 207.669.8254 (phone) • 866.683.6594 (toll free) • 207.669.8255 (fax) • shi@sustainableharvest.org • www.sustainableharvest.org
Smaller World: Reg. U.S. Pat. & T.M. Off