Becoming Sustainable

Recently Mr. Leonard and the folks at Ti Paradi harvested a crop of sweet potatoes some which were very large. These were grown from vines that he had brought down for that first crop. After the harvest they used cuttings from the vines of that crop to plant a new crop of sweet potatoes. This is what sustainable food production is all about, using cuttings from your old crop and saving seed from other types of foods to replant. It may appear very simple to us but it is an important step in becoming self sufficent for food production. Our goal is to one day see this little community provide much of their own food. We are thankful to Mr. Leonard for his good work and to the Leach family, missionaries at Bombardopolis, for their encouragement and guidance for him. It isn't the Garden of Eden.....yet...but God is not finished!

More pictures

Here are pictures taken by Zack at the greenhouse at
Hams Prairie. (Double click the picture for full display)

Greenhouse and shade house

Here are a couple of projects completed here in the US. The green/shadehouse
at Hams Prairie is for display and demos. The greenhouse was built as part of a
community garden project at Troy 1st Baptist church.


Demo greenhouse with shade cover at Arrowood Farm, Hams Prairie, MO

Cold frame greenhouse at 1st Baptist Troy

Patat or sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes grown at Ti Paradi

Here is a video shot by Jaime Oestreich on the March 2010 mission trip.

Video shows bananas, papaya, tomatoes, and sweet potato vines

Seeds of Hope Project

Below are a couple of pictures of the garden area and the
beginning of a hoop house being built for a community
project at Troy 1st Baptist Church in cooperation with
NECAC. SFP is helping on the project and the raised
bed boxes were built by the FFA from Troy High
Schoool.

February Update

Now that's a "donkey load" of sweet potato vines !!!!

Mr. Leonard continues the gardening work at Ti Paradi. He has recently taken down a "donkey load" of sweet potato vines for planting and is filling one of the shade houses with fruit tree seedlings. Today Ti Paradis is just a little community that people pass through while traveling the costal road. Our dream is that one day it will be a destination, a place that lives up to its name of Little Paradise, with coconut palms, fruit trees, and vegetable gardens. While most of our attention is focused on helping out with the earthquake disaster, we are also going on with plans to help the folks in this village learn to help themselves.

Plans for the greenhouses project at Juarez has been put on hold due to problems in the community at this time. We pray that things will settle down and allow this project to be completed in the future.

Leo Paez is in need of another greenhouse at Madera, Mexico. This one would be set up for access by elderly people and raised beds to make gardening easier for them. Pray with us about this need. Leo carries a great burden for hurting people whether they be elderly, homeless, or children.