Project Title: Puerto Rican Plant-Based Food Literacy Workshop Series

Project Description: Plenitud PR is a 501c3 organization dedicated to teaching and demonstrating sustainability practices that promote a life in harmony with the environment. We carry out this mission by providing low-cost and free educational services to community members in the regions of Las Marías, Lares, Maricao, San Sebastian, giving workshops and offering services across the island. We demonstrate these techniques at our farm and teaching center in Las Marías, Puerto Rico. We teach sustainability and climate resilience through permaculture and agroecology design systems, rainwater harvesting, and bio-construction. We receive on average 1,000 people (pre-pandemic) a year through workshops, internships, and apprenticeship programs. We also provide programs for volunteers, alternative educational activities, and wellness classes. Our goal is to present viable sustainable alternatives to the many challenges that ordinary Puerto Ricans face, including climate change-related natural disasters, economic uncertainty, and food insecurity. In 2019, we published a 200-page agroecological manual, Siembra Boricua: Agricultura en Armonía con la Naturaleza (Translation: Manual for Agriculture in Harmony with the Natural Environment) that shares information and tools for producing food sustainably. We wrote this manual based on practices we learned from our experience applying permaculture and agroecology techniques on the Plenitud PR farm. We have also made a content library of videos and other booklet resources for children and adults. This curriculum addresses the main challenges and key solutions through sustainable farming in the tropics, especially in Puerto Rico. Through collaboration with and support from governmental organizations, international and local non-profits, and sustainable farmers from western Puerto Rico, we offer intensive educational programs that equip underserved beginning farmers, children, elders, and community members with the tools needed to live more harmoniously with the natural environment.

Read More: Empowerment in Puerto Rico: Plant-Based Nutrition and Health Empowerment