EARTH Stories

Knowledge Exchange to Transform Rural Realities

The CoopeCuna Cooperative, born as an agrotourism project, has evolved over time. Through innovation and strategic alliances, they have found a way to strengthen essential oil production and diversify product offerings. Their most recent project, carried out in collaboration with EARTH’s Community Development Program (CDP), EARTH students, and EARTH Futures’ Developing Solutions team, marks an important step toward accessing international markets and generating added value from medicinal plants cultivated for local consumption…

08/2025

From a Humble Dream to a Promising Future

Yngrid Espinoza Villaruel (Class of 2011, Peru) was the first recipient of a scholarship funded by EARTH alumni. What began as a unique opportunity became a path marked by effort, innovation, social and environmental impact, and an unwavering commitment to giving back to the world…

08/2025

An Agroecologist Bringing Solutions into Vulnerable Places

David Steiger has long been committed to making his community, and the world, a more equitable place. The 2011 graduate, from Switzerland, was one of the first students from the European continent to attend EARTH University. David is currently working for Robi, an NGO that provides services for vulnerable children in his small yet diverse hometown of Olten, Switzerland…

08/2025

Tariq S. Kelly: Leading the Way in Technical Innovation in the Agricultural Sector

For the past seven years, EARTH graduate and Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Alumni, Tariq S. Kelly (Class of 2017, Jamaica) has served as Pineapple and Coconut Crop Manager at JP Tropical Foods, a 190-hectare farm in Jamaica. The company is a leading producer of bananas, pineapples, plantains, and coconuts…

08/2025

From the Land to the Law: Lucina’s Work for Indigenous Justice

Since childhood, Lucina Martínez Régules (Class of 2004, Mexico) understood that community is not just a place—it’s a way of being in the world. More than two decades after graduating from EARTH, her work continues to advance the autonomy of Indigenous peoples, defend the textile heritage of Chinanteco women, and seek justice within a system that does not treat everyone equally.

08/2025

Smart Farming in the Humid Tropics

At the Livestock Farm on EARTH University’s Guácimo Campus, a pioneering research project led by Professor Leslie Antonio González is introducing the use of ruminal boluses (special inserted capsules) in cows adapted to tropical conditions. This technology allows for real-time monitoring of animal health and welfare…

07/2025

EARTH Ventures Transforms Banana Production With a Model That Protects Natural Resources

EARTH’s Banana Commercial Operation is part of a dynamic project led by EDEKA and WWF that promotes more sustainable farming practices. The goal is to shift from conventional agriculture to regenerative agriculture that promotes and safeguards ecosystem health…

07/2025

Life in Full Bloom: Francis Hernández, a Leader Rooted at EARTH

From EARTH’s classrooms to the greenhouses of one of the largest horticultural companies in the world, Francis Hernández Montás (Class of 2019, Dominican Republic) has cultivated a journey filled with purpose, learning, and transformation…

07/2025

Charbel Assemaani: An Entrepreneur Mastering the Art and Science of Producing Artisanal Yogurt

Graduate Charbel Assemaani (Class of 2015, Lebanon) loved his EARTH class on Food Processing. Today he is co-founder of Semani Yogurt, a company making high-quality, small batch yogurt on the island of Antigua. Learn about the ways Semani has made a splash in a competitive market and how they plan to continue growing…

07/2025

A Graduate’s Mission to Inspire Youth to Work the Land

When Nokubonga Cherryl Ndima (Class of 2012) was growing up in Durban, South Africa, she dreamed of being a surgeon. But while working with her family in their vegetable garden of carrots, cabbages, and spinach, she began to make a connection: she saw how people often went to the doctor and had health problems because they did not live healthy lifestyles or have access to nutritious food…

07/2025

Forget Shareka: From EARTH to Climate Action

From drying fruits and vegetables with local women farmers to advising on rural connectivity and sustainability projects, the story of Forget Shareka (Class of 2019, Zimbabwe) shows that climate action begins by listening to communities’ voices and needs…

07/2025

Addressing Environmental and Food Security Challenges in the Bahamas Through an Egg Production Business

Graduate Carlton Tylor II (Class of 2023) understands the environmental and food security challenges faced by his community, and he is beginning to address them. Through a new egg production business on his home island of the Bahamas, he is beginning to do his part to help restore the coastline and provide locally produced food. His goal, in five years, is to have a fully operating business that is not dependent on resources coming from outside the island…

07/2025

Community Weaving Among Women

Thanks to projects like Resilient Agrifood Systems (RAS) and Nourishing the Future IV, led by EARTH Futures, many rural women in Costa Rica have found in sustainable agriculture, financial education, and collective action a way to transform their present and envision a future with greater autonomy…

06/2025

A Life Between Climates: Riley Thomson’s Story

Riley Thomson (Class of 2009) was born in Canada, but it was growing up and studying in the tropics of Costa Rica where he discovered his calling: to protect nature through agriculture. Today, he leads a global coffee sustainability initiative and works to bridge the needs of the North with the potential of Central America. His story shows why studying in the tropics can forever transform you…

06/2025

Research: A Powerful Tool to Transform Food Systems

Armand Yambisa dreamed of returning to his country to transform life in rural areas. And he’s making it happen. He leads a research team from Zambia developing real solutions for small-scale farmers, combining agricultural innovation, scientific research, and a deep commitment to his community. His story shows how research can sow hope where it’s needed most…

06/2025

Fazeena Persaud: Dedicated to Improving Livestock Farming in Saint Kitts & Nevis

Since graduating from EARTH, Fazeena Persaud (Class of 2023) has been focusing her efforts on improving conditions for livestock farmers in her home country of Saint Kitts & Nevis. Her interest in the field was solidified during her third-year professional Internship, when she served with the government’s livestock division…

06/2025

Precision Planting: The Future of Agriculture Is Cultivated at EARTH

From the first year, our courses introduce students to a wide range of agricultural technologies. Through hands-on learning, they explore, experiment, and learn from their mistakes in an environment where practice is an essential part of the educational process. Discover some of these technologies…

05/2025

Pollinating the Future: The Sustainable Vision of a Guatemalan Beekeeper

Luis Eduardo Girón (Class of 2005, Guatemala) grew up watching his grandfather and father work with bees, and years later, he transformed that legacy into a project that protects biodiversity, produces unique honeys, and offers immersive tourism experiences. Discover the story behind Colmena Don Antonio and how beekeeping can also be a transformative experience…

05/2025

Shamir Carrillo: A Career Shaped by EARTH Values

Shamir Carrillo (Class of 2015, Belize) has worked in many sectors and industries in his country, demonstrating EARTH graduates’ adaptability and the University’s focus on learning-by-doing across various fields. Nowadays, he’s working on topics fundamental to the future of food security.

05/2025

Leonor Fall: A Leader Who Places Humans at the Center

As a motivated professional committed to bettering her community and the world, Leonor Fall (Class of 2016, Senegal) has led a career path that has taken her from organizing high-level meetings at the African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace, and Security to working with livestock keepers in her home country of Senegal…

05/2025

The Kingdom of Fungi at EARTH Farms

At EARTH, a group of students and professors form part of a project that aims to transform waste into food, explore new ways of sustainable nutrition, and dive into one of the most mysterious and powerful kingdoms on the planet: the Fungi Kingdom.

04/2025

EARTH Stories

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