Grown in Haiti

We haven’t planted anything yet on this land. We start by observing. We’re still waiting for rain to show us how water moves across this site, so instead of designing, we began walking. Slowly. Picking up what didn’t belong.

And as we cleared trash, a story started to unfold.

There were clothes that looked like they had been discarded after someone passed. Plastic bottles that hinted at what the people who worked here once drank. A heavy piece of iron that feels like it’s been around for decades. A bottle of paraquat, which tells us chemicals were used on this soil. A ceremonial bottle that carries its own kind of meaning. Old sneakers that makes you wonder if kids once ran through this space.

You can learn a lot about land by what it holds onto.

Before we talk about regeneration, we have to understand what happened here. What was taken. What was used. What was left behind.

So we clean. We pay attention. We let the land speak before we decide how to move forward with it. Always with intention.

Stacks of stone coming together.

Not much to look at yet, but this is how foundations start. The community has been gathering these boulders so we can begin the base of a new water cistern.

Water for the land.
Water for our classrooms.
Water to better support the farmers who show up every day.

This work has always moved at the speed of trust and shared effort. Nothing here happens because of one person. It happens because people believe in the long view.

Grateful for everyone who has supported Grown in Haiti over the years, whether through time, resources, or simply believing this work matters.

Before lessons, before harvests, before growth, water comes first.

More to come this season. Stay tuned!

After many tries, June plums (Spondias dulcis) finally sprouted.

Fresh, viable seeds are sometimes hard to come by. Even a full crate gifted by didn’t give us a single one. So seeing these push through the soil feels especially good. This is why we call our systems living seed banks rather than food forests. It feels more accurate to what we’re building.

We’re continuing to test plants that are both edible and marketable, always with the community in mind. This is just one of many new sprouts.

The land moves on its own timing. You can show up, prepare, wait, and still have to try again.

I’ve been quieter here lately for the same reason. Less posting, more preparing. Getting the land and the team ready for the year ahead.

There’s a lot in motion behind the scenes. Once a few foundations are set, we’ll be back to sharing regularly.

For now, this is enough.
A small sprout.
A reminder that persistence pays off.

A banyan wrapping itself around an old avocado tree.

At first it looks like a gentle hug. But when you look closer, you see how the roots tighten and pull in.

The banyan uses the avocado to lift itself higher. It climbs by holding on. It rises by leaning on what came before it.

A tree becomes a host when the conditions are right for a banyan seed to take hold. Sometimes that happens through a wound or broken limb. Sometimes it happens even when the tree is healthy. Either way, the relationship begins long before we notice it.

There is something to learn here:
• Not everything that looks like support is nourishing.
• Not everything that grows together grows in balance.

But there is still no villain. Just two lives crossing in a moment of need.

The land reminds us that what comes next is shaped by what stands today. Care, neglect, balance, pressure. All of it becomes the foundation for the next stage of growth.

This is why we say that sustainability cannot exist without community. The way we hold each other now shapes how the next generation rises. Strong roots create strong hosts. Healthy hosts create healthy systems.

Everything we do becomes the structure that someone else will lean on.

Met two amazing Haitians here in Berlin — Yann and Alice. Both are doing powerful work that redefines how our stories and culture are shared with the world.

Yann curates Diaspora Daydreams, a traveling kiosk exploring Haiti’s history, everyday life, and the complexities of migration.

Alice is a storyteller, photographer, and organizer amplifying Haitian voices and challenging the narratives too often imposed on us.

Grateful for the connection and proud to see Haitians representing with depth, clarity, and vision. 🌱🇭🇹

Check out their pages to learn more and support their work:
@​yannkersaint | @​mariealicemrl

Met Chef Gregory Gourdet () at his restaurant Maison Passerelle () inside and shared a meal that brought me right back to Haiti.

The menu celebrates Caribbean and French flavors, honoring our heritage while showing what is possible with care and precision. It reminded me that regeneration is not only about the land where food grows, but also about the way it carries into our culture and how we nourish each other.

From the soil in Ayiti to a plate across the world, excellence begins with connection. Proud to celebrate Haitians like Gregory who carry our stories with meaning and intention.

This month’s harvest is a sweet reminder of what roots can become.

🌸 Malay Apple (Syzygium malaccense) offers crisp, rose-scented fruit and deep pink blooms that brighten the forest and bring a cooling touch on hot days.

🍈 Champedak (Artocarpus integer), a cousin of jackfruit, gives off a rich, sweet aroma when ripe. A tropical favorite now growing strong in Haitian soil.

These trees don’t just feed people. They feed pollinators, soil life, and the land itself.

This Champedak tree was adopted by Calvin B. last year through our Adopt-a-Tree program. Thank you, Calvin, for helping it take root and flourish.

🌱 Want to be part of a story like this? Adopt a tree and grow something lasting.

Honored to Repost this from 🌱
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Science engagement that changes lives

Meet the 15 Science Engagement Finalists who are transforming how science serves society by bringing it out of the lab and into the hands of communities facing the harshest impacts of climate change.

From drought-stricken farms to flood-prone cities, these visionary projects are turning research into real-world solutions. What unites them is their commitment to participatory, community-led science that builds resilience, equity, and hope.

Eunice Adewusi () – Project Ayika
Grace James – GreenQuest
Jessamyn Fairfield – We Built This City on Rock and Coal
Jesse Hildebrand – EBTSOYP Broadcasts
Kalina Marcela Fonseca Largo – Open Science in Water
Karen Verstraelen (.vlaanderen) – Amai!
Liza Wohlfart – FRANCIS
Lovro Koncar-Gamulin – City Layers
Nondas Ferreira da Silva – Seeds of Change
Pooja Manandhar – BioSmart Women Nepal
Provides Ng / Bum Suk Ko / Baha Odaibat – Urban Mining 2.0
Sidney-Max Etienne – Grown in Haiti
Simone Montano – Map the Giants
Sylvester Weekes – Operation 232
Thomas Mullen – Science on the Walls

Falling Walls Engage is supported by the Hannover Re Foundation.

📍On 6 November, at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin, these 15 Finalists will pitch their ideas live, competing for the title Science Breakthrough of the Year 2025, Science Engagement.

We’ve had a lot of people reach out lately, asking how they can support Grown in Haiti.

So we’re opening the door for a few remote volunteers to join the work.

If you care about Haiti, about the land, and about building something steady and meaningful—this might be for you.

We’ve got an info session coming up:
🗓 August 5
⏰ 5:30 PM ET

We’ll be talking about what’s ahead, including our Adopt-a-Tree campaign launching this fall.

Right now, we’re especially looking for support with:
📍 Translation
📍 Admin and organization
📍 Social media
📍 Grant research
📍 Creative support
📍 General coordination

You don’t have to be here in Ayiti to help things grow.
Just bring time, care, and consistency.

DM us your email for the Zoom link.
Let’s grow this together.

and came from Port-au-Prince, joined by a friend from Jacmel.

Not to take pictures.
To ask questions.
To walk the land.
To learn how fruit grows and what it takes to give back.

They left with jackfruit and cempedak. With bilimbi, mamey, black pepper, monstera, and water apples. With cuttings to plant and stories to carry home.

This is what local engagement looks like.
People from right here in Ayiti,
making the effort to reconnect.

Not just to eat the fruit—
but to understand the system that made it possible.

That’s the part we’re most proud to share.

A neighbor’s starfruit tree is flowering for the first time. These soft blooms will soon become the golden fruit we all know.

Its growth didn’t happen alone. It’s supported by a plant guild growing together:

🪻 Mexican sunflower for mulch and nutrients
🌱 Cassava to feed the soil and build mycelium
🍌 Plantain for shade and support
🪴 Ground covers to protect and cool the earth

This isn’t just a tree.
It’s a system rooted in care.
Each plant doing its part.
Each one helping the others hold on.

Together, they create a living system of abundance and care. Would you like to join this plant guild and grow with us? Adopt a tree Today! 🌳💛

We’re honored to share that Grown in Haiti has been selected as a finalist for Falling Walls Engage 2025 in Berlin! 🌍🌱

This November, we’ll be taking the stage to present how regenerative agriculture is helping restore soil, reforest land, and rebuild community resilience in Haiti—one seedling at a time.

It’s a chance to represent Haiti on a global platform and share how science rooted in tradition and community can drive meaningful change.

Stay tuned as we pitch live at the on November 6.