220. Restoring the Land Through Regenerative Farming with Florence Reed of Sustainable Harvest International

In this episode of The Good Dirt Podcast, hosts Mary Kingsley and her daughter Emma talk with Florence Reed, founder of Sustainable Harvest International, a nonprofit that has worked with smallholder farmers in Central America for over 27 years in adopting regenerative farming practices. Florence tells the story of how Sustainable Harvest International got its start, and highlights the importance of healthy soil, biodiversity, and the role of local technical assistance in fostering long-term agricultural transformation. She points out how these practices alone applied to small farms the world over could significantly contribute to the United Nations' goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Florence tells us that there are many inspiring success stories, including one that she shares about a farmer who restored his land and sent both of his daughters to college as a result of his farming success following the SHI program. The conversation offers a hopeful message about the potential for individual and collective action in combating climate change. ,00:00 Introduction 00:31 Welcome to the Good Dirt Podcast 00:57 Guest Introduction: Florence Reed 03:25 Florence Reed's Background and Motivation 06:04 Early Challenges and Realizations 08:05 Founding Sustainable Harvest International 11:52 Initial Steps and Early Support 14:22 Challenges of Slash and Burn Farming 20:40 Sustainable and Regenerative Practices 27:42 Community Engagement and Program Implementation 30:48 Deciding Where to Work 31:32 Challenges and Demand 32:17 Global Impact of Small-Scale Farmers 33:40 Resistance to Change in Farming Practices 39:59 Success Stories and Long-Term Impact 46:02 Personal Reflections and Slow Living 49:16 Future Plans and Getting Involved LINKS Sustainable Harvest International Roots of Renewal: A Film on Farming for a Hopeful Future Eliot Coleman: The New Organic Grower Barbara Damrosch: The Garden Primer The Good Life: Helen and Scot Nearing's Sixty Years of Self Sufficient Living ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community Visit Our Website Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram Email us at [e-mail] or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: • Wendy Gray