Tag Archive: Pineapple

October Project Roundup: Exiting Pineapple Project, Boots on the Ground in Panama, Corn Harvest in Ghana

AFRICA Ghana We now have six established VSLA groups plus several pending. We look forward to sharing more information about those with you soon. The first plot of corn from the demonstration site has been harvested. As a reminder, this was the crop the cows attacked early and had poor germination. The team is conducting… continue reading

Crossing the finish line with our first pineapple harvest

In November of 2013, hard-working Sierra Leoneans planted the first pineapple suckers in the village of Bauy a in Sierra Leone, as part of a new Just Hope venture there to create economic opportunity for the community. Over the following several months, the workers planted a total of five acres and 90,000 pineapple plants. To ensure… continue reading

August 2015 Project Roundup: First VSLA Group Launches, Pineapples Approach Harvest, Mulch Proves Its Worth

AFRICA Ghana VSLAs Our first VSLA group has been launched! The group is called Sesa Mu VSLA, and it consists of nine women and nine men, who are mostly pineapple and corn farmers in the area around the town of Berekuso. Demonstration Plots at Sesa Mu Since our last report, four additional demonstration plots have… continue reading

Pineapples, machetes and the unknown

A random sampling of the pineapple plants in Bauya, Sierra Leone, shows that the forcing process started by local workers in early March was successful. Five plants were uprooted and with a machete, bisected straight down the middle to reveal a clean cross-section of the plant’s interior. Four out of the five plants look exactly… continue reading

Gearing up, forcing pineapples

Last month we reported that our pineapple crop appeared to be fruiting early, not good news given that our processing plant buyer was still shut down due to Ebola. We also were concerned that we were unable to completely understand the extent of the fruiting, because our crew was unable to penetrate the razor-sharp rows… continue reading

What are we going to do with 90,000 pineapples?

In our line of work, the phrase “subject to change” is common in our vocabulary. Solid, well formed plans are without question a necessary component of our success. And yet the plans, and we who implement them, must remain flexible, because circumstances change – sometimes, on a dime. We are certainly experiencing an extreme dose… continue reading

Pineapple, one year later

This time last year we were delighted to announce that our first pineapple crop was in the ground in Sierra Leone! Neatly lined rows of “suckers” stood in the November sun at the end of the rainy season, beginning their 18-month journey from seedling to fruit. [See second photo, above.] Our partner Africa Felix Juice… continue reading

A fond farewell to Austin Smith

After nearly a year managing our project in Sierra Leone, Austin Smith has returned to the United States. We want to thank Austin for his work in Bauya, where he cultivated a number of strong relationships for Just Hope with local leaders, established a solid process for accounting and reporting, and leaves behind a well-built… continue reading