ABSTRACT

Creating local ecopreneurs is an ongoing process at Sustainable Harvest International (SHI), a small non-profit organization headquartered in Maine, USA. Founder and ecopreneur Florence Reed began with a commitment to save the rainforests by teaching sustainable agricultural techniques to local farmers in Central America. her personal values and entrepreneurial willingness to take risks and create change led her to found SHI when she could not find another organization carrying out her mission. SHI operates through its local field trainers to encourage individual farmers to become ecopreneurial by implementing sustainable agro-forestry techniques, which in turn creates economic opportunity, evidenced by the variety of micro-projects that have been initiated. The field trainers, ecopreneurs with a strong personal commitment to the environment and their communities, build on SHI’s training and resources to develop programs tailored to local needs. The creation of ecopreneurs has been furthered by SHI’s self-view as an incubator to develop locally-based, ultimately independent organizations in affiliated countries. Sustainable Harvest International has been a significant force for environmental and economic change in the villages that it serves in Central America. Because of its integrated approach to environmental and economic needs, the impact on its participants will probably be long-lasting.