Projects and Partnership Activities
While we are just launching our non-profit in 2008, we have been doing this type of work
informally for many years. Here are some examples of our previous and ongoing activities:
We have been involved in 'Farmer to Farmer' exchanges to
India, Jamaica, and Guinea where we worked with local farmers and extension agents
on sustainable agriculture techniques, including biological control of maize pests,
cultural management of citrus diseases, and organic vegetable production.
We have supported ongoing projects in Haiti, Senegal and Mali with visits, seed donations
and technical advice. We have hosted and exchanged ideas with farmers and agricultural
experts from Haiti, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Columbia and
Kazahkstan at The Farm Between. We have hosted University of Vermont classes and NOFA
workshops on our farm also.
Ongoing Seeds of Self Reliance projects and partnerships include seed distribution with the help of High Mowing Seeds, a student run garden at Cambridge Elementary School (in our home town), Lamoille Union High School Garden, Development in Gardening, Inc. project support, and a community farm for the Association of Africans Living in Vermont in partnership with the Intervale Foundation.
We are establishing a presence in Batey Libertad with an education and demonstration garden through a partnership with Fundacion Libertad. We are also linking Cambridge Elementary School with Batey Libertad students as pen pals. The CES students used the sales of their produce to buy a wheel barrow and tools for the Batey. We hope to use this garden and model to launch more gardens in other Haitian Bateys and other communities in the Dominican Republic.