New York City, New York - Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) announced a Commitment to Action at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2023 Meeting in late September. SHI was recognized as a leader in the category Climate Resilience for its expansion of carbon-negative agroforestry and other agroecology practices in Central America. CGI believes that 53% of the UN’s goal for net greenhouse gas reductions can be achieved by these practices that produce more food by increasing soil organic matter and integrating trees into the farming systems.
A farm in La Pedregosa, Panama after transitioning to agroecology practices with SHI. Farmers Albero and Felicia said this was previously land that produced almost nothing.
As a CGI commitment-maker, SHI will expand its TREE (Training to Expand Ecoagriculture) Program in partnership with the Honduran Institute for Professional Development (INFOP). Over the course of the next 3 years, the Honduras TREE Program will:
sequester 128,000 tons of CO2
enable 1,600 small scale farmers to regenerate over 12,800 acres of degraded land
plant 1 million trees
increase incomes and food security for 8,000 people.
SHI's Commitment to Action was announced during the Tuesday morning plenary session by the Emmy award nominated host of Top Chef, Padma Lakshmi. Representing SHI was its Founder and Director of Strategic Growth, Florence Reed. Remarks by Bill Clinton, the President of the World Bank, and others advocated for a transition toward locally grown food systems backed by small-scale regenerative farmers, aligning closely with the ongoing work of SHI spanning more than 26 years. Praise from CGI staff for SHI’s plans and conversations with philanthropy, policy, business and nonprofit leaders have bolstered SHI’s aspirations to restore 8 million acres of farmland by 2030.
TV host Padma Lakshmi (third from left) announced SHI, represented by Founder Florence Reed (right), and two other commitment-makers on the main stage at the Clinton Global Initiative’s 2023 annual meeting
““SHI has helped over 3,000 families restore 30,000 acres of degraded land and we’re especially proud that when we go back to visit families five, ten or more years after they graduate from our program, 91% are still enjoying the environmental, economic and social benefits of the agroecology practices they adopted with us.
After 26 years of continuously improving our multi-year training program and having recently launched our Million Farm Transformation scaling initiative, it’s extremely gratifying to be recognized by an institution as prestigious as the Clinton Global Initiative. I can’t wait to see how much more we can do in partnership with members of the CGI community!””
Organizations like SHI make Commitments to Action at CGI in three key areas: climate resilience, health equity, and inclusive economic recovery and growth. While SHI's Commitment to Action falls within the Climate Resilience category, it's important to note that their comprehensive training program addresses not only climate resilience but also encompasses aspects like improving access to a nutritious diet and providing small business training for farming families. As a Climate Resilience leader, SHI will expand its existing reforestation and sustainable farming programs.
To learn more or access our press kit, visit sustainableharvest.org/clinton-global-initiative or email Tania Roa at tania@sustainableharvest.org.
About the Clinton Global Initiative
Founded by President Bill Clinton in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative is a community of doers representing a broad cross section of society and dedicated to the idea that we can accomplish more together than we can apart. Through CGI’s unique model, more than 10,000 organizations have launched more than 4,000 Commitments to Action — new, specific, and measurable projects and programs – that are making a difference in the lives of more than 500 million people in 180 countries.
