EARTH (a Spanish acronym for School for Agriculture in the Humid Tropics Region) is dedicated to the development of future leaders in sustainable agriculture and natural resource management. Located in Costa Rica, EARTH University has 907 graduates from 19 Latin American countries. EARTH’s goal is to graduate "agents of change" who have the skills to catalyze change in their home communities and are committed to addressing the environmental, agricultural, and social problems using sustainable methods.

The V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation made a grant to help fund EARTH’s Community Development Program (CDP). The CDP exemplifies EARTH’s experiential learning philosophy and increases the student’s awareness of their social responsibility in helping to improve the living conditions of people in rural, marginalized communities of Latin America.

The CDP provides a venue for students to learn about the challenges facing rural farmers and creates a two-way exchange of information between EARTH students and rural communities. The students work with communities surrounding EARTH’s campus to develop projects related to sustainable agriculture, small business development and human development. The CDP program helps improve agricultural techniques and the quality of life in communities close to EARTH’s campus and in communities throughout Latin America once EARTH graduates return to the their home countries.

For more information visit: www.earth-usa.org