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This presentation will touch on the difference in philosophy/methodology between larger scale, conventional development NGOs and more grassroots, alternative development NGOs, using the work of Plenty International as an example of alternative development. Plenty is a non-profit organization that was created in 1974 by an intentional, cooperative, vegetarian community called The Farm. Over the years, hundreds of volunteers from the Farm and it's extended network of friends have participated, through Plenty, in community to community relief and development projects in the US and in other countries.
Plenty has pioneered utilizing and sharing the same eco-village technologies in it's community development projects that have been used to develop and sustain The Farm community in rural Tennessee. We have found that the human skills of mutual respect, honest communication, selfless cooperation, volunteerism, and conflict resolution, as well as other appropriate technologies such as soy- based nutrition, sustainable agriculture, computer literacy, health care promoters and midwifery practices are useful and applicable to other communities in different countries. Plenty and our volunteer workers have always honored and helped preserve the traditional cultures we have had the privilege to experience and learn from.
Some of our affiliations and project partners include: Eco-Village Training Center, US; Huichol Center for Cultural Survival, Mexico; Sustainable Harvest International, Belize; Pan-American Health Organization, Belize; SoyNica, Nicaragua; PeaceRoots Alliance, US; Slim Butte Agri-Dev, US (Pine Ridge Reservation); Toledo Ecotourism Association, Belize; Toledo Cacao Growers' Association, Belize; UPAVIM, Guatemala; San Bartolo Development Committee, Guatemala; WAIKADA Carib Development Organization, Dominica; Imani House International, Liberia
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Sustainable
Resources 2004 > Talks
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