Perfil y Experiencias

Profile of the EARTH AGRONOMIST | Statistics | Professional Experiences

Mayra Ruíz is from San Juan de Río Seco, a town of approximately 15,000 habitants, located in the central region of Colombia.

She first heard about EARTH in her high school, thanks to an informational speech given by graduate Camilo Santos. “I was in my senior year when he came to promote the University and it seemed really interesting to me. First, because of my connection to the rural region; but, even more, I liked the possibility of being with people from many different countries and cultures.”

With her mind fixed on coming to EARTH, Mayra overcame her family’s financial limitations and spent two months searching for scholarship support from public and private entities. Once she had the support of these institutions, she fought to convince her father to let her pursue this adventure; since at the time, Mayra was just 17 years old.

Of her time at EARTH, she remembers the support she received during her first year, which kept her on track. She will never forget the encouragement shown to her from fellow Colombians or the celebration of the University’s 10th anniversary with the visit of Mikhail Gorbachev, “we felt the eyes of the entire world on EARTH because we were unique and different.”

“I think that the most important lessons I learned at EARTH are to fight passionately for a dream and to believe that being different can take you far.”

For Mayra, the values, philosophy and principles of EARTH are what distinguish the University’s graduates. “To speak with clarity and to have ethics and a social commitment are what make us different and really enables us to be agents of change.”

“Without EARTH, I wouldn’t have the education, the knowledge, the tools or the vision of the world that today enables me to take responsibility for our future and contribute, from wherever I am, so that there is a better future for our children.”

Dedication to communities and their people

Mayra’s work experience encompasses activities both in the public and private sector.

On a state level, she collaborated in the design of a public policy to generate a change in the agricultural sector of the country. In addition, she worked with the State of Cundinamarca in a foundation that implements organic agriculture programs for people with cerebral palsy.
Currently, she works on the development of a project with the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, called Agro-industrial Management Entreprenurial Model (MEGA in Spanish). The project brings together a group of public and private entities that aim to diversify and strengthen the productive and export capabilities of agricultural and agro-industrial products being produced in Colombia’s central region, thereby positioning them as among the most competitive in Latin America.

Mayra is an advisor and leads the production part of the project. “My responsibility is to oversee the development strategy in the primary production, to develop a product with added value. I try to improve the exportable product; more than this, it is about collaborating with all of the actors—the producers, farmers, associations—that participate in the primary production process.”

These individuals receive services that include consulting for the development of a business plan, assistance with certifications, technological development, education and training in financial topics, among others.

“We always try to give people options so that they can live better, so that they are paid better for their product, so that they see that there is a different world beyond the square meters of their farm…so that they interact with other cultures. This promotes respect and tolerance in a country where problems are almost always resolved violently. In summary, it’s about giving people tools to do things differently.”

Before joining the MEGA project, Mayra participated in the coordination of a food security plan with the National Federation of Coffee Growers. “We provided options to people, some 3,000 rural families, to ensure food security through clean production. This plan required the involvement of the entire family, generating a great social impact. Two years after the project, the beneficiaries have continued implementing the program.”

In addition, she provided support to a group of 80 rubber farmers as they formed a credit association in order to plant 2,000 hectares of rubber. “This project became a model and blazed a trail. Today, this group is a credit operator for the entire country.”

Mayra also dedicates part of her time to advance her own projects. She grows ferns on the farm of a business partner, and three years ago began planting physalis, a fruit similar to a small tomato, on her own property. With her family, she is also developing an organic coffee project.

“I can’t stop working to focus on my own business yet because I feel a great commitment to people, to working with business owners, farmers, producers and other people; I know that through my work, I can help people improve their quality of life.”

After finishing high school, Filiberto Hodgson began studying at Bluefields Indian & Caribbean University (BICU) where he received a scholarship to pursue a degree in naval engineering. However, six months later, the major was eliminated due to the economic, political and environmental situations in the region.

At that moment, he began to think about studying agronomy, even though he knew that it would be a financial sacrifice that his family was not capable of assuming.

It was when he began to work as a physical education teacher at a high school in the community of El Rama, that Filberto discovered EARTH. “I came upon some documents that talked about the University and I stopped to review the information that had arrived more than a year before. When I read it, I got excited and decided to apply. I applied because it was in agronomy, something I had always liked a lot, without knowing anything about the educational model.”

He was selected for an interview and, to his surprise, a few days later he received a telegram to present himself at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Managua, together with a group of other young men and women who had been selected for admission.

“I was one of the five lucky ones. This scholarship was very special, as in addition to covering 100 percent of my tuition, room and board, it included a monthly stipend, medical insurance and money to buy books and for travel to EARTH. This came with a commitment that upon graduating, I would work in one of USAID’s programs related to agriculture and stay in Nicaragua for at least two years.”

During his time as a student, he was known for being very organized and for his involvement in sports. “The campus life, the experience with my classmates and my good friends like don Irio Molinari, helped me to learn a great deal about life.”

Filiberto is a graduate who firmly acknowledges what the University provided him and he repays the institution by being a bearer of its mission and by cooperating in the selection of potential students. “If I hadn’t had the opportunity to study at EARTH, I would have never fulfilled my dream to study agronomy. EARTH helped me to realize my dreams and in gratitude, I will always be willing to collaborate with the University in the admissions process.”

Filiberto’s family has benefited twice, as one of his three brothers, Edmar, also received support to study at EARTH and graduated in 2002. “With my help and that of my brother, we have changed my family’s living conditions. We have remodeled the house so my mom can now cook with gas instead of burning wood. We were also able to help my other brothers and motivate them to study.”

“EARTH instilled in me a commitment to work in the communities”

The lessons at EARTH that made the most profound impact on Filiberto were leadership and commitment to environmentally-friendly change. It is not a coincidence that his work opportunities have enabled him to maximize these values.

With the goal of honoring his USAID scholarship, this graduate became involved in projects benefiting Nicaragua socially and environmentally, particularly in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region.

Upon graduating in 1997, Filiberto joined BICU as the coordinator of the Agroforestry Engineering Department in Bluefields, and was named second in command of BICU at their branches in the communities of El Rama and Puerto Cabezas. He also worked at the National Forestry Institute as the Municipal Delegate in Bluefields and as the Head of Forestry Management in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region.

As coordinator of the Agroforestry Engineering department, Filiberto conducted research to create a community development program at the BICU campus in Bluefields. Later, he headed the program’s planning process and an effort to raise the funds necessary to implement the program.

The impact of this program includes the establishment of a training center in community agroforestry, which includes facilities to provide training courses to community members as well as to BICU students in the ecology, biology and agroforestry departments. With this project, he has benefited more than 10,000 people in a period of six years.

Filiberto, together with his brother Edmar and two other colleagues, Leonel Luna and Jimmy Hernández (from the class of 1999 and 2000 respectively), decided to form an environmental and social consulting firm called Foundation for Sustainable Development (FUNDESO). The business, currently led by Edmar, contributes to sustainable development in Nicaragua through the creation, management and supervision of holistic programs and projects with citizen participation.

FUNDESO established an alliance with the company Natural Resources Consulting Group (NRCG, dedicated to environmental and social education), and together they are implementing projects in community and environmental development in protected areas in Bluefields. With this alliance, FUNDESO became the representative entity for NRCG in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region, thereby becoming a non-governmental organization.

Among the achievements of FUNDESO with NRCG, Filiberto highlights the implementation of a wetlands project with Conservation International (CI) in 2004, training and technical assistance to small and medium scale farmers, actions in the area of environmental health, studies in local participatory development, sustainable agriculture and projects that include citizen participation with a special focus on women in eight communities in Kukra Rivers in Bluefields.

Filiberto worked between 2001 and 2004 as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the area of food security and agricultural production; with the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) in roads and self-sufficiency and with BICU in community issues and self-led development. These programs have given him the opportunity to generate a great change in the region.

Until 2003, he was the coordinator of a World Bank program implemented through the Emergency Fund for Social Investment, called the Community Development Program for Indigenous Towns and Ethnic Communities, bringing more than 200 direct-impact projects to two Caribbean regions in Nicaragua.

From this position, “I helped to subcontract people capable of opening health centers, to promote electrification, to reforest, build roads and boats and install radio equipment.”

In 2004, he conducted a post-graduate program in Project Development, Evaluation and Follow-up at the Autonomous National University of Nicaragua (UNAN) and at the end of 2006, he obtained a master’s degree in Forestry Sciences in the European Union. Upon his return from Europe in December 2006, he took advantage of the opportunity to develop some personal projects.

Until July 2008, he worked with the Commission on Reconciliation, Peace and Justice presided over by the Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, as an executive assistant to the President of one of the entities that formed part of this commission.

Beginning in August 2008, he began working as a Planning Specialist in the Department of Demarcation and Consolidation of Protected Areas of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and part of the Property Organization Program in Nicaragua supported by four entities: the World Bank, the Nordic Fund for Development, Cuenta Reto del Milenio and the Nicaraguan government.

In this role, Filiberto has worked on the physical demarcation and signage of 12 protected areas in four provinces in Nicaragua (Chinandega, León, Estelí and Madriz). Additionally, he coordinated the development of land use policies for protected areas, supervised and monitored the management plans of six areas in the provinces of Chinandega, León and Madriz and led the planning, implementation and supervision of these regions’ annual operating plans.

Filberto has also developed a small construction materials business. “In the little free time I have, I farm on a small scale, growing corn, cassava, melon, watermelon, passion fruit, granadilla, grapes, cucumber, and squash.”

“I have been very inclined to work in the communities because it is something that EARTH inculcated in me. The tools that they gave me, the ethics and the love of nature and the environment are lessons that I apply day after day.”

Gladys was born in the small village of Moyo, in northern Uganda, a nation known worldwide as “the pearl of Africa.” It is known for its people, natural beauty and farming industry, as approximately 80 percent of the population depends on agriculture for its livelihood, particularly coffee, cotton, tea, tobacco, fish and flowers.

Gladys first heard about EARTH during her third week of classes at Makerere University in Kampala, when two EARTH professors gave a presentation about the institution. Gladys was immediately attracted to the combination of theory and practice in EARTH’s educational model. “What I liked most was when one of the professors told us that EARTH was for people who have dreams. Since I am a dreamer, I decided to apply. Thank God I was selected. My world changed and this change is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.”

While she was far from home, Gladys’s inner joy and personal conviction gave her the motivation to push forward during her years of study at the University. “At EARTH, I built friendships and was able to become part of a family that loved one another; I will always treasure this.”

At EARTH, Gladys was an active member of the Young Christians group and the Student Council. She was also able to bring a little bit of Uganda to EARTH through her participation in cultural activities. “Culturally what impacted me most was the support I received to learn Spanish. It taught me to believe in mutual support and that we can reach our goals if we work together.”

Gladys was awarded the EARTH Prize during the 2005 graduation ceremony in recognition of her outstanding performance as a student and for reflecting the values of the Institution.

“EARTH helps us to fly”

After graduating from EARTH, Gladys had the opportunity to conduct three internships in the field of cut flowers, principally roses.

The first internship was at the Aasacorporación Farm in Ecuador. “For three months, I participated in every production area, including: crop management, pest and disease management, fertilization and irrigation, post-harvest and marketing. As a special project, I installed a system for the production of liquid fertilizers and conducted tests for their use in the growth of roses. This project enabled the farm to achieve the VeriFlora® certification—a North American sustainability certification program for fresh cut flowers and potted plants.”

The second internship was in California in the United States, where she established a propagation department for the Ocean Breeze International Farm in collaboration with Excel Roses. “My primary goal on this farm was to learn the management of the rose business. I achieved my objective and also solved a problem for the company by creating a propagation department.”

Gladys conducted her third internship in The Netherlands with the flower wholesaler, Sierafor, where she worked as a researcher. This project gave her the opportunity to interact extensively with the intermediaries who sell flowers from Africa to the company.

After a year of internships, she returned to Uganda where she worked as the Post Harvest and Marketing Manager at Kajjansi Roses, a rose producer and exporter. There she had 25 people under her supervision. “This job gave me experience in employee management and enabled me to learn more about marketing cut flowers. I also had the opportunity to communicate directly with international clients, which helped me to better understand the export business in Uganda.”

Gladys notes that one of her achievements in this position was to improve employee relations using communications skills she learned at EARTH. “In addition to achieving various goals related to cost management, I was able to improve the communication and self-esteem of the personnel and provide training in post harvest management and quality control of roses.”

Currently, Gladys is in the United States pursuing a master’s degree in floriculture at The Ohio State University. She received a scholarship to complete postgraduate studies on the effects of slow-releasing fertilizers on the production and post-harvest quality of flowers. “My current project is contributing to the reduction of residual water contamination in greenhouses. I apply what I learned at EARTH every day—team work, communication, stress management and values, both social and environmental.”

Eventually Gladys hopes to establish her own export flower business and farm in Uganda.

“EARTH opened my eyes and enabled me to see infinite horizons both professionally and personally. I came to EARTH without knowing how to speak Spanish, but today I am fluent. All of my professional achievements I owe to the University. Today, I can help my family and the people around me, thanks to these doors that were opened to me. EARTH is a place that allows us to fly as far as we want to go; it is a place where dreams come true.”

Gustavo Manrique and José Guarderas graduated from EARTH convinced that the environmental problems facing our planet represented an innovative business opportunity that could have a high social impact. This mentality influenced them from the beginning of their careers as entrepreneurs.

After having successfully developed several projects in such areas as shrimp farming and the sustainable production of cacao and teak, between 1999 and 2003, Gustavo had the opportunity to provide consulting services in waste management for the slaughterhouse of the municipality of Guayaquil, in the control of odors and flies in the municipalities of La Troncal and Quinindé, and in the transformation of agricultural waste to a production input for the Tierra Verde Plantation and other producers in the Esmeraldas province.

It was during this time that the idea was born to partner with José and form the company Soluciones Ambientales Totales (SAMBITO, S.A.)—a company that promotes ecological projects, specializing in the development of innovative solutions to environmental problems for the public and private sectors in Ecuador, that are economically feasible, socially just and environmentally friendly.

They made one of their first business proposals to the mayor of Guayaquil; it was an ambitious project that consisted of the holistic transformation of all the waste management processes at the municipality’s slaughterhouse.

The mayor’s office accepted SAMBITO’s offer and with that, they implemented multiple efforts related to livestock, administration and environmental sciences, which resulted in the establishment of food security protocols for meat products, directly benefiting consumers. “With this program, we achieved a 20 percent reduction in water consumption in farming processes, substantially reducing contamination in the Guayas River and mitigating bad odors that were affecting neighboring communities through the utilization of environmentally-friendly technologies.”

SAMBITO has also conducted environmental impact studies, such as one on the electricity-generating barges located on the shore of the Guayas River, south of the city of Guayaquil. In order for these studies to be accepted by the community, the entrepreneurs focused their study at two levels: environmental and social.

“From an environmental perspective, we use vanguard technology with mathematical models to measure air and water quality, and with this information, we propose plans and programs for mitigation, contingencies, control and environmental monitoring.”

Another area of action for the company began in 2005 with a social and environmental improvement program in beach tourism. Today, this project is in its third phase. “The objective of the program, which is inspired by international initiatives, is to implement environmental quality policies for the care of marine water, environmental awareness programs directed at the local population, children and tourists, environmental management of the beaches with a focus on the management of solid waste, and security and services for tourists.”

The project was selected by the AVINA Foundation as one of the 11 best sustainable development projects in the Ecuadorian coastal region based on a review conducted by the NGO EcoCostas that ended in March 2007.

Through the Beach Organization Program, SAMBITO identified the lack of tourist bathrooms as one of the main needs of the beneficiary communities. The team recommended looking for a holistic solution to the problem, coming up with a design for Ecological Portable Bathrooms.

“These bathrooms don’t use water, they convert waste into fertilizer—which is later used to produce forest species—they allow for air circulation, capture natural light and rain water, reutilize soapy water for gardens and are designed to be accessible for individuals with disabilities.”

Following this success in sustainable beach tourism, SAMBITO was selected by the Coastal Resource Management Program (financed by the Inter-American Development Bank) to create a manual of “Best Practices for Sun and Beach Tourism.” The result was a program, ready to be implemented by local authorities, which provides incentives for the gradual completion of certain policies based on international standards.

“We designed a program that will be implemented by local leaders at each beach community motivated to improve their competitiveness in eco-tourism and to obtain prizes with every improvement.”

Gustavo and José have implemented environmental management plans and programs for the coffee, cardboard and plastic industry. Their initiatives include the optimization of water treatment plants, water and electricity savings through cleaner production strategies and eco-efficiency.

In 2007, recognizing the inefficiency and the high energy, water and material consumption of traditional buildings and architecture, SAMBITO began to promote an innovative vision for green buildings in Ecuador, starting with the building for their company.

This is how, according to Gustavo, the new eco-efficiency and green buildings department was created at SAMBITO. “We want to improve the management and operation of our building so that later we can promote the results and motivate others to change their facilities and processes to make them more environmentally friendly.”

Green buildings use construction materials that have a low environmental impact and employ renewable resources, bio-climatic architecture, alternative technologies and cleaner, more efficient processes. “We are convinced that a green workplace can increase awareness and inspire our society to think about environmental impact and make decisions and actions that reduce the deterioration of the environment.”

In January 2008, the SAMBITO management team offered a free training program to students in high schools, technical programs, institutions and universities in Ecuador to increase awareness of the importance of preserving nature, with the goal of reaching 5,000 people by the end of the year.

In May 2008, the Nature Foundation and the Provincial Board of Guayas hired SAMBITO to administer an innovative reforestation program called Amigo Arbol, which aims to improve environmental conditions through carbon sequestration. “This initiative seeks to reforest degraded areas in the province of Guayas, especially those where the ecological impact is greatest. In a 12-month period, we will plant 500,000 native, drought-resistance tree species, which will capture carbon dioxide as well as provide other benefits to these sectors.”

In all of their projects, Gustavo and José have trusted in the leadership and professionalism of more than 15 EARTH graduates. “EARTH graduates have been the key to the sustainable development that we dream of for Ecuador.”

In June 2008, the company launched the SAMBITO 2008 Buyers Guide: the first eco-efficient shopping guide in Ecuador. “We are offering businesses and citizens a guide to reduce the environmental impact of their purchases. The client, at the moment of purchase, refers to the section of the product or service desired and chooses that which has the least environmental impact in terms of its fabrication or operational efficiency.”

EARTH graduates at SAMBITO are also working on projects in reforestation, campaigns to involve children in environmental activities, sustainable cacao production, commercialization of bio-fertilizers and collaborative efforts with non-governmental organizations.

SAMBITO’s activities are fostering a strong environmental and social commitment in the business world and government in Ecuador, contributing to the preservation of the environment both locally and globally. This is a confirmation of the impact that EARTH’s innovative educational focus is having.

Celia comes from Concepción, a farming region in northern Paraguay. To go to school, she had to travel three kilometers to the city of Horqueta, where she and her family later moved so that she could attend high school.

In her last year of high school, Celia met Emilio Valiente, an EARTH student from Paraguay, who was promoting the University. It was then that she decided to apply. “I always liked agronomy because my family supported itself by farming and I choose EARTH because I saw that it had a holistic approach to education which truly fascinated me.”

Her father passed away during her first year at EARTH, but in spite of the obvious difficulties, Celia experienced years of valuable lessons at EARTH. “In general it was great. My father was one of the people who supported me most in my studies and I feel like the situation motivated me to work that much harder. The support of my classmates and professors also helped me finish my first year.”

This graduate has a hard time identifying the most important lesson learned at EARTH, as, in her opinion, they are all related. “Every detail, every experience made it possible for me to leave as a holistic agronomist. I think that at EARTH we lived in such an egalitarian way, full of exchanges, opportunities and openness, that it enabled us to enter the workforce without difficulty.”

Multiplying agent, leader in organic production

Upon graduating from EARTH, Celia worked at a Paraguayan foundation dedicated to agro-ecological production systems, beginning as the production coordinator and eventually becoming the executive sub-director.

Later she worked at a private company that commercializes organic products for the European, United States and Japanese markets. “At this company, I started as a field technician, then became responsible for the internal controls for the organic certification of small-scale farmers, then served as the internal control system coordinator and finally became the manager of organic production.”

“During these years, the company gave me the opportunity to share my knowledge in Peru, Argentina and various states in Brazil. But also, I was able to receive training and to represent Paraguay in conferences in Latin America on organic production, particularly organic cotton, from its production to the making of garments.”

Currently, Celia continues working in the organic cotton industry as an independent consultant in the area of certification. For her full-time job, she works at another company that produces Stevia.

“Stevia is a natural sweetener that was recently approved by the FAO for human consumption. With this approval, the business where I work is in the stage of reproducing seedlings in nurseries as well as cloned varieties. While we are doing this reproduction, we are merging the business with an international consortium. I am responsible for validating a new variety that is being launched and is a priority for the company.”

Once the merger is complete, the Stevia crop will impact approximately 40,000 farmers and in this stage of the activity, Celia will move to the production division.

“What I learned at EARTH, I apply in many ways; in the area of organic production, it helps me because I have an education in sustainable agriculture and in my current job we make many projections, budgets, costs, and returns that allow me to utilize all of my knowledge.”

Throughout her career, Celia has worked in sustainable production systems with small farmers, specifically in certified organic production, and has been able to convince many families to change their conventional production systems to an organic model. “In reality, it is a cultural change, it’s about returning to the system of our ancestors. Currently, we have approximately 800 producers who are very aware and very convinced.”

This has permitted her to completely manage the farm of each producer, from how to prepare and manage the soil and protect the water, to the rational use of forests. To date, she has been able to train more that 2,000 families and technicians from the government, NGO’s and other institutions.

“I have always sought diversification, I have worked in five agricultural areas and with regards to value added for organic cotton, we have touched the entire chain: agricultural production, cotton processing, selling the fiber, spinning, weaving, dyeing and the manufacturing and sales under our own brand. With this, we have contributed to making Paraguay second only to Peru in organic cotton production in Latin America.”

In the limited free time that Celia has, she provides support to the Organic Production Law and regulation processes for Paraguay and, together with her fellow graduates, supports the admissions process for EARTH.

“As a graduate, I have been invited to participate in a project to build a model agricultural high school and they want to use the EARTH model. So I participate in these meetings along with other EARTH graduates and it includes the participation of IICA.”

In the future, Celia would like to work on her own in the area of organic production. “I work in order to one day be able to have my own model organic farm and once I achieve that, I will work directly in consulting. This world really excites me and I also want to study more. Throughout all this, I continue contributing where I’m needed, because I love to participate in all events where I can collaborate and learn.”

“I feel like the University has enabled me to focus my objectives, it has helped me mature as a person and face situations with seriousness and responsibility. For me, EARTH is the creator of change agents.”

Fifteen years after graduating, Fabio Rosales affirms without hesitation that the scholarship he received to study at EARTH University was one of the great opportunities of his life, allowing him to develop and make a difference.
Today, at 39 years of age, he remembers with nostalgia the day in which, while in military service, he saw an advertisement in the local newspaper about the recruitment process at EARTH.

At this moment, Fabio’s situation was complex. “Since my family had very limited financial means, I never thought I could study at a university.” In spite of this belief, he decided to respond to the EARTH ad. Some time later, while he was continuing his military service, he was interviewed by Alfonso Campos, former director of the University’s Agro-commercial Farm, and Carlos Chaves, who was the Director of the Permanent Education Program (PEP) for many years.

For Fabio, who had graduated from a technical agronomy high school in León de Nicaragua, learning that the academic focus of the University was in an area that had always attracted him was all he needed to apply.
“Ten days after finishing my two years of military service, I came to EARTH.” On March 18, 1990, Fabio joined the first group of students to study at the University.
Today, his maturity and experience enable him to value his experiences at EARTH. “I felt like I was in a family, where we all treated each other well; we were very united. At EARTH, we always worked on strengthening values like responsibility, tolerance and humility.”
The impact of Fabio’s time at the University is reflected when he comments on the essential aspects of EARTH that he puts into practice everyday, including: the commitment to being an agent of change, the ability to work in diverse fields, the versatile education, the capacity to have an expansive vision and the sense of leadership. “We really are making a difference wherever we are.”

“EARTH has helped me fulfill my goals”
Upon leaving the University, Fabio worked in Costa Rica for several years in pig farming and on mango, citrus and pochote farms. Later, he was the operations manager for the Hawaiian Papaya production company, FRUTIPAQUERA.
However, when Blanca Lacayo, a colleague and classmate of Fabio’s from the University, wrote to him from Nicaragua, he decided to leave Costa Rica and return home.
Blanca offered him two job opportunities that he couldn’t refuse: One as a teacher at the Universidad de las Regiones Autónomas de la Costa Caribe Nicaragüense (URACCAN), where for more than five years he imparted his knowledge and vision of sustainable development as a professor in topography, integrated disease and pest management and agricultural experience. The second job offer was in Bluefields with the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), where he has worked since 1998.
With DANIDA, he has worked as a member of the socioeconomic group as a maintenance advisor, a sustainable projects planner and, most recently, as a consultant specializing in environmental and social awareness for the South Atlantic Autonomous Region of Nicaragua.
The projects led by Fabio have become key tools for direct local development and include a variety of activities related to improving the quality of rural infrastructure and the integrated management of natural resources.
“We have impacted 80 communities in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region, benefiting indigenous and ethnic groups, improving access to education through the creation of schools, expanding electrical, water and medical services, providing technical assistance in agriculture and livestock, collaborating with the opening of roads and transportation and implementing plans for the integrated management of natural resources.”
One example of Fabio’s work worth highlighting is the rehabilitation and environmental and operational management of two important river basins, implemented following Hurricane Mitch.
“Wherever I am, I feel that EARTH has contributed to me fulfilling my goals.” Fabio emphasizes that it doesn’t matter what country he’s in, the education he obtained at the University gives him a skill-set that is very different from that of a traditional agronomist and opens innumerable doors for growth.

Paula Rueda grew up surrounded by people linked to the agricultural sector. Her parents worked their entire lives for the Colombian Ministry of Agriculture and her younger brother is also a professional in this area.

It wasn’t by accident therefore that she decided to study agronomy at the University of Bogota. However, after her first year there, she learned about the academic program at EARTH. “The integration of the components of the curriculum really drew my attention.” In addition, the emphasis on field work and getting to know the rural reality attracted her during the recruitment process.

Seven years after finishing her studies at the University, Paula affirms that her time at EARTH “were some of the best years that I have lived and the best experience that I could have had in the development of my career.”

Of the many lessons she learned at EARTH on a personal and professional level, Paula pointed out the feeling of commitment, the value of discipline and a proactive attitude, as the most important. She also makes mention of the incorporation of the environmental component in agricultural production and the focus on developing a capacity to communicate in a simple way.

“Studying at EARTH changed my life. You experience many things, grow a lot and gain many positive personal attributes. While living with others you to learn how to approach people and learn about your environment. You are one person before arriving at EARTH and another after…you have a much broader perspective on what you can do, where you can work and what you can offer others.”

Harvesting the results of her work

Paula began her career in administration and quality control in the companies La Carambola (Costa Rica) and Flores del Clima Templado (Colombia).

From 2004 to 2007, she worked as the Area Manager of the technical team in the agricultural division of the Foundation of Consultants for the Rural Sector (FUNDASES), a Colombian entity related to the Minuto de Dios Foundation, which seeks to promote clean agricultural technologies that provide social and production benefits such as improvements in the cost of inputs, the production of healthier and less toxic foods and the recuperation of the ecological balance through good quality harvests.

“Since the Foundation has a presence in 18 provinces, I had the opportunity to go to the majority of those territories, promoting alternatives to the use of chemical substances and more environmentally-friendly management of crops. For this, we tried to integrate the management of residuals, water runoff and soils in an agro-ecological way, to obtain high quality products, with fewer chemical substances.”

While at FUNDASES, Paula also gave courses to an average of 1,000 farmers annually on integrated waste management and the introduction of cleaner inputs to crop production. In addition, she provided support to the multidisciplinary team of specialists responsible for hosting visitors to the institution.

Currently, Paula works with Associates in Rural Development (ARD), contracted by the U.S. Agency for International Development in Bogota, in a program called “Areas for Alternative Municipal Development” (ADAM in Spanish). This project, together with municipal governments, seeks to reduce the negative impact of illicit crops through sustainable agriculture with the goal of improving the living conditions in regions throughout Colombia.

ADAM emphasizes the management of solid waste, residual water and agricultural production and commercialization activities. “I provide follow-up in the field in the technical areas of crop development and management, fertilization and pest and disease management.” This program has been able to reach 12 provinces in the country.

Recently, Paula led a training course for more than 3,000 people from the coffee farming sector, impacting more than 6,000 hectares of specialty coffee plantations in Colombia.

She also works for Escuela de Campo para la Agricultura (ECA), providing training programs in rural extension methods in seven provinces in Colombia. She trains technical professionals to transmit their knowledge on topics related to the production of vegetables, silvopasture production and crops such as passion fruit, raspberries, cacao, beans and rubber. This project has reached more than 30 technicians in each province.

In addition to completing her master’s degree in environmental management and being the President of the EARTH Alumni Association in Colombia, Paula has also provided independent consulting services since graduating from EARTH. In this role, she has gained valuable experience in the areas of agro-ecology and the cultivation of tropical plants and flowers. She also provides technical consulting services for farms and works as an assistant auditor for the Corporación Colombia Internacional (CCI), an organic certifier, where she verifies farms and businesses that wish to certify themselves as ecological producers.

“I feel like I have contributed a great deal to the environmental and social development of my country, promoting agro-ecological production and waste management, both from my position at work as well as through consulting services. I have always focused on looking out for the well-being of the farmers and their workers.”

Many years ago, Jorge Valdivia was convinced that he should study aviation. He began his formal studies in this area, without knowing that one day, he would be invited to attend EARTH.

His friend, then student Rodrigo Jaén (class of 1998), invited him to attend the Tropical America Fair and it was at that moment, after visiting the University and learning about its program, that Jorge changed course.

After applying for admission, Jorge was selected and received a full scholarship provided by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

Jorge is sure that he made the right decision as he notes the positive impact that it had on his life both professionally and as a human being.

Holistic agents of change

Jorge defines his university years as excellent, full of wonderful moments and friends that he misses. He had the opportunity to travel frequently with his classmates and to spend time in the communities that they visited.

“Being at EARTH makes you more aware of and very committed to environmental and social issues. So much so, that on our farm, I have paid special attention to the rational use of chemicals and adequate waste management. Personally, EARTH made me more positive, more self-confident, with the capacity to handle any topic in the different agricultural fields and to relate to others. I even improved my communication with my family, as I was very shy before going to EARTH.”

Jorge adds that the development of leadership skills at EARTH has had a huge impact on his personal and professional development. “This has helped me to learn to express my points of view, to listen and to propose ideas and solutions in a group.”

Since he graduated in 2003, Jorge has worked as the general manager for Agropecuaria El Plantel, a 210-hectare family rice farm owned by his father, Evenor Valdivia, located in Matagalpa.

As the general manager of this business, he is in charge of 28 employees. In addition, with the support of his brother Pablo and the oversight of his father, they manage the payroll, make strategic decisions and supervise all activities related to the business.

To do his job, Jorge notes that everyday he puts into practice the values that he learned at EARTH, like order, attention to detail and honesty. “EARTH taught me to establish positive relationships with employees and now, at the end of each harvest, we organize a gathering for the workers and their families.”

El Plantel’s employees live in a town with serious social problems, characterized by disputes and political resentment, poverty and a lack of education. As a result, Jorge has an ongoing interest in and makes a concerted effort to provide better salaries and training in technical and social topics. “Beyond just knowing how to farm the land, it’s essential to know how to work with people, to understand them and above all, to give them an opportunity to grow.”

Similarly, Agropecuaria provides Jorge with the perfect opportunity to apply all of the agricultural lessons learned at the University, particularly those related to chemistry, soils, irrigation and drainage.

The sustainable focus of the business, characterized by the adequate and rational use of chemicals, and an incentive program that rewards employees to improve production times, has resulted in a production increase from 35 quintals per hectare to 59.5 quintals per hectare per harvest over the last four years.

All of his achievements, big and small, receive a new hue in the context of a community and a country that has been ravaged by war, expropriation and plundering, and, as a result, has very limited options for development and well-being. For this reason, Agropecuaria El Plantel is a source of hope for many.

Wanquiriam Castañeda, the youngest in a family of five siblings, was born in the remote town of
Barillas de Huehuetenango in Guatemala.

In spite of their economic limitations, Wanquiriam’s parents always believed in the importance of providing an education to their children and made an effort to ensure that she and her siblings went to college.

Wanquiriam learned about EARTH while attending the Barcena National Central Agricultural High School. Ramiro Gonzalez, her entrepreneurial projects professor and EARTH graduate (class of 1995), provided time during his class so that the students could learn about the University. Wanquiriam was one of four students from her high school selected to study at EARTH.

According to Wanquiriam, one of the most effective parts of EARTH’s academic program is the opportunity to learn from experience. She adds, “respect for the environment and people, learning about the rural reality from a holistic perspective and the ability to make decisions are lessons that I value greatly.”

For this graduate, the emphasis on values and on setting and fulfilling goals was another important lesson sh

e learned during her years at EARTH. “I learned how to work with and how to treat people. In the long run, if you treat people well, it helps you build relationships and generate positive outcomes.”

Upon graduation, Wanquiriam returned to Guatemala, where her first job was teaching Agricultural Economics at a high school endorsed by the Universidad de San Carlos.

Later, she was selected from a group of 70 candidates to work as an administrator of 11 small-scale ornamental plant farms in distinct parts of the country, responsible for reviewing aspects related to quality control in the crops and export operation.

“I learned a lot during the year and half that I was there, above all, how to relate to people. At the beginning, I worked hard to earn the trust of those who worked by my side; something that later helped me to gain their respect and affection.”

After marrying Carlos Roque, her colleague, current business partner and former classmate from EARTH, she moved to El Salvador, where she began working in the environmental division of the sugar plant, Ingenio El Ángel.

“At the time, I was in charge of the reducing environmental and water contamination, but the most complicated part was explaining to people that the sugar tanks shouldn’t overflow. What we did was to show them that with this practice we are losing sugar, and as a result, money.”

In her zeal to achieve a cleaner production, Wanquiriam fell back on a lesson from EARTH: establish positive relationships with people.

The statistics proved the economic value of her environmental changes. In the last two sugar cane harvests, the company went from losing an average of 15 pounds of sugar per ton of cane to loosing just 0.6 pounds per ton, representing, in economic terms, half a million dollars. There was also a reduction in water consumption from 1.2 cubic meters of water per ton of sugar to 0.7 cubic meters.

“In summary, we avoided contamination, we cleaned the water, we applied more efficient production processes and we recuperated sugar and increased yields; this is in addition to the fact that in terms of the quality of life, we improved the availability and quality of water for the surrounding communities.”

This achievement earned Ingenio El Ángel the National Prize for the Environment, for their water management project and cleaner production measures. The company also received a special mention by the Central American Commission for Environment and Development in the category of environmental technology innovation.

Following these same lines, Ingenio El Ángel recycles cardboard and plastic on a large scale. “We try to dispose of our waste appropriately and we donate our recyclables to an NGO who sells it to generate income. Recycling saves the sugar refinery money as we don’t have to pay to take the trash to the dump. We have institutionalized these practices and that is part of what I am leading.”

Cid Simões and Paola Segura stand out for their contribution to improving the living conditions of small-scale farmers in Brazil. Both are EARTH graduates and together they have formed a successful partnership both personally and professionally.

Through their business Segura & Simões S.A., located in the Brazilian state of Bahia, this enterprising couple develops initiatives in sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation; contributing to the local economy in a targeted way and generating employment in the region.

In order to fulfill their mission, Cid and Paola have created their own training methodology called 5 x 5. This method consists of teaching one family how to produce in an environmentally-friendly way and once trained, this family is responsible for teaching what they have learned to five other families, and so on.

Using this simple method, Cid and Paola support the growth of small-scale farmers, who they then charge with teaching others about reforestation and farming without the use of chemical fertilizers in regions with degraded soil in Brazil, and which is aimed ultimately at contributing to global sustainability and improving the quality of life of the region’s inhabitants.

Paola notes that they are currently working with 10 families on several different projects. One of their most successful projects is the production of lakka palms, a plant that they learned about at EARTH through Professor Panfilo Tabora. Today, they cultivate this highly-profitable palm in a 1,000 m2 nursery at a low cost. “We are only doing what we were taught to do. Currently we’re the largest producers of this palm in Brazil.”

Another initiative includes the planting of fruit trees and ornamental plants, which, in addition to contributing to national reforestation efforts, has become a viable alternative in sustainable farming for the small-scale farmers who work with them.

Recently, the couple concluded a business plan to cultivate 200 hectares of banana in the state of Ceará for export. This project includes an innovative organic technology package, will represent more than $4.5 million in direct investment and will benefit close to 120 families in one of the most economically depressed areas of Brazil.

Cid believes that their agribusiness initiatives have provided small-scale farmers with new options to improve their quality of life. “We hope that this success enables a larger number of rural people to build profitable farms before being forced to head to urban regions in search of better opportunities.”
Prize for their effort and leadership
Thanks to their effort and dedication to the development and creation of agribusinesses in Brazil, the National Geographic Society awarded them with the distinction of “2008 Emerging Explorers.” This annual program recognizes individuals who search for innovative ways to educate and inspire others and promote global sustainability.
Paola noted that for her and her husband, the news that they were being named Emerging Explorers was a complete surprise. It seemed incredible to them that they were being included among people recognized for their contributions to science, technology, paleontology and other areas. “We were confused, but later we learned that this Society is also interested in recognizing people that work to benefit the environment and society. This acknowledgement from National Geographic is not just for us, but for all of our EARTH colleagues who work under the flag of sustainable agriculture and are making a difference.”
Cid and Paola traveled to Washington D.C. in April 2008 to formally accept this recognition. There they presented their projects to a crowd of more than 200 people at the National Geographic building and received an economic award that they plan to use in the continuation of their work.

A graduate with an enterprising spirit

Cid is originally from Mato Grosso, a remote town in Brazil whose economy is based on agriculture, livestock and the mining and food industries.

He grew up on a farm and attended a rural school that required him to walk 10 kilometers every day. Later, he began studying at the Cuiaba Federal Agro-technical School, an institution where he learned about EARTH and that inspired him to leave his country to study environmental conservation.

Cid was the first student from his school to come to EARTH. His arrival in 1995 and a visit conducted by the school’s director to the EARTH campus opened the door for the admission of seven Brazilian students the following year.

He remembers language being a barrier for him at first. During the early months, the professors that spoke Portuguese helped him understand the material in those subjects in which he had doubts and questions.

In spite of this difficulty, Cid didn’t have problems connecting with other people at EARTH, “You become part of this great family; both your classmates and your professors treat you very well.”

His time at the institution enabled him to develop several projects along with his classmates, including the botanical garden, a butterfly farm and the institutional web site, with the goals of contributing to the University’s mission as well as earning money to cover some of his necessities.

He remembers visiting Panfilo Tabora’s farms on the weekends. Together they grafted fruit trees, including rambutan and mango, to give to small-scale farmers. Later, they began to commercialize this technique in Guanacaste and to cultivate ornamental plants in the garden behind Prof. Tabora’s house—the place where Cid also learned about the lakka palm.

While he was finishing his final year at EARTH, Simões met Paola, a young Costa Rican who became his connection to the University following graduation and later, his wife.

“It was because of EARTH that I am who I am”

Since she was a young girl, Costa Rican Paola Segura was drawn to animals and their care; so much so that she gave a presentation on the topic during her last year at the María Inmaculada High School.

As a result of this presentation, her friend Ricardo Arce, told her about EARTH; a university that was focused on forming leaders in the agricultural sciences and where his father, José Ruperto Arce, worked. Ricardo even helped her get the application forms, which she completed and returned immediately.

Trusting what her friend had told her about the institution and with a full scholarship, this young woman from San Rafael Arriba de Desamparados began her studies at EARTH in 1998.

Paola notes that the University gave her the opportunity to interact with people from different cultures and to learn about different ways of thinking and being, “I had to learn to live with others and this helped me grow.”

What she enjoyed most were the classes in the fields and at the dairy farm. She also worked with Professor Tabora in the production of ornamental plants; an inheritance that Cid left her following graduation and that in the future would guide the development of their businesses.

In her third year at the University, Paola carried out her internship in Ecuador in rose production. She was in charge of the agrochemical area and the experience awakened in her an interest in working in sustainable agriculture.

When she returned to EARTH, Cid offered Paola the opportunity to come to Brazil with him and work in the ecotourism department of the Bio Brazil Foundation; an organization which seeks to restore habitats that are at risk of extinction.

Segura didn’t have to think twice and upon graduation, headed to this South American country. For six months, she worked as a volunteer for the Foundation, organizing bird watching tours.

Later, she and Cid began producing lakka palms and ornamental plants in the state of Bahía. The idea was to generate alternatives for rural development that produced profits and other beneficial results, for as Paolo says “it is very satisfying to work in support of communities.”