EARTH Stories

Two Graduates Applying Their EARTH Education to Fruit Production in Sierra Leone

Emmanuel Mark Fornah (Class of 2014) and Aiah Umar Konoboy (Class of 2015), both from Sierra Leone, are two examples of how EARTH’s hands-on approach goes beyond the classroom and translates into real impact. Today they work in fruit production in their country, applying the knowledge, technical skills, and leadership capacities gained at the University.
From crop management to supporting work teams, they are demonstrating how a learning-by-doing education prepares professionals capable of creating opportunities, strengthening communities, and transforming production systems.
From students to leaders collaborating for Sierra Leone

02/2026

Agribusiness as a Tool for Sustainable Community Development

Through her leadership in sustainable agribusiness programs and initiatives across Latin America, Adriana Escobedo (Class of 2007, Costa Rica) has built a career defined by community development, entrepreneurship, and education. Her experience shows how agribusiness—when people are placed at the center—can strengthen local economies and generate long-term impact.

02/2026

From Belgium to EARTH: The Story of Raphaël Loubert

Raphaël Loubert (Class of 2018, Belgium), who arrived in Costa Rica as a traveler, found at EARTH the starting point for his life’s purpose. His experience in a multicultural environment with hands-on learning and a strong sense of community shaped both his personal and professional development. Today, based in Belgium, he works in environmental education, leading projects inspired by EARTH’s educational model.

01/2026

Utilizing Weed Science to Protect Crops and Promote Leadership among Farmers

Emmanuel Cooper Gonfatee (Class of 2015, Liberia) has built a career focused on science, sustainability, and agricultural innovation. From his work with farmers in Liberia to his doctoral studies in weed management and digital agriculture, he is applying the hands-on and environmental approach he learned at EARTH to protect crops and strengthen leadership in the field.

01/2026

Technological and Agricultural Solutions for Smallholder Farmers in Somaliland

Khaalid Ahmed Awali (Class of 2018, Somaliland) has carved a career path that combines agriculture and technology to address real challenges in the field. Drawing on his education at EARTH, he has advanced practical solutions that support smallholder farmers, improve production processes, and strengthen access to local markets.

01/2026

EARTH is Supporting the Strengthening of Coffee Farming in Guatemala

In San Juan La Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala, coffee is much more than a crop—it is identity and livelihood. Through the Resilient Agrifood Systems Project led by EARTH Futures, smallholder producers like Federico Manuel Ujpan are strengthening their productive, organizational, and commercial capacities, advancing toward a more sustainable organic coffee sector.

01/2026

The School of the Land: The Story of Doris Corrales

From a childhood shaped by learning through agriculture to her participation in the Resilient Agrifood Systems Project of EARTH Futures, Doris’s story shows that knowledge can be gained through hands-on learning. Today she leads, shares, and applies agroecological practices alongside other women in her community.

01/2026

EARTH and INTA: A Partnership Driving Agricultural Innovation

EARTH and INTA are strengthening a strategic alliance that promotes applied research, agricultural innovation, and leadership development. Through joint projects in Costa Rica—including the development of value-added products from sweet potato, both institutions combine knowledge, experience, and learning to generate a positive impact on the agricultural sector…

12/2025

A Leader in Plant Genetics and Food Security

Komlan Kekeli Batchey (Class of 2021), a Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Alumni, grew up in a farming community in Togo. As a child he helped his mother grow and sell green beans and lettuce from her garden…

12/2025

Entrepreneurial Projects Born in the Classroom that Transform Communities

From their first year, EARTH students learn how to turn ideas into sustainable businesses. Thanks to the support of funds such as the Scholars Entrepreneurship Fund (SEF) and the Katherine John Murphy Fund, many of these projects have successfully made the leap from an idea to making a real impact in communities…

11/2025

A Young Professional Determined to Transform His Country

Coming from an island where nearly all food is imported, Veonn Caines (Class of 2025, Saint Kitts and Nevis) always knew that agriculture has a future. His research comparing two types of planters in the humid tropics revealed findings that could one day transform how corn is produced—with greater efficiency and fewer losses. Now, as he prepares to graduate, he dreams of bringing that knowledge back home and proving that innovation can also emerge from small places.

11/2025

From “City Boy” to Shaping Leaders: the Journey of José Antonio González

When José Antonio González (Class of 1997) arrived at EARTH from Panama, he had never held a shovel nor endured the heat of the open field. What began as a physical challenge turned into a life lesson that led him to discover his passion for the environment and for teaching…

11/2025

Indigenous Women: Guardians of Ancestral Knowledge

In one of the villages surrounding Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, a group of women gathers to weave and embroider. With their hands, they write the stories of the Maya people in a symbolic language of threads and stitches that form birds, flowers, and serpents. Some sit before backstrap looms, creating pieces filled with hundreds of colors…

11/2025

EARTH: A Bridge Between Agriculture and Conservation

With support from members of the EARTH community and strategic partners, our University is conducting research to learn more about the species inhabiting the Guácimo Campus—understanding their needs and implementing solutions that respect their life cycles, behaviors, and habitats…

10/2025

Sam Hansen: Uplifting Communities by Living in Harmony with People and Nature

Sam Hansen (Class of 2014, United States) is part of a sustainability education center based in Costa Rica. There, he manages agroforestry systems, fermentation processes, and teaches courses on permaculture and natural building—all while keeping community development at the heart of his work…

10/2025

How Gastón Miyashiro is Integrating EARTH’s Principles in International Cooperation Work

The first time Gastón Miyashiro (Class of 2007, Argentina) stepped foot on EARTH’s campus wasn’t his first day as a student—it was for a week-long training on microorganisms. At the time, Gastón was studying Business Administration at the University of Buenos Aires and had been working with Effective Microorganisms, a Japanese technology that creates synergistic effects by combining beneficial microbiomes that exist in nature…

10/2025

From Rural Roots to Advocacy: A Leader Advocating for Mental Health

Within her first week at EARTH, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Alumni, Betania Taquiva Ramírez (Class of 2016, Venezuela) had already introduced herself to all 400 students, the faculty, and every staff member on the Guácimo Campus…

10/2025

Supporting Local Farmers Through Soil Preservation in Jamaica

Inspired by his grandfather, Cawayne always dreamed of working in agriculture. He imagined studying close to home in Jamaica, where he could directly uplift his family and community…

10/2025

“Just A Farmer” Working for a Sustainable Future for Bermuda

Malachi Troy Symonds, from the island of Bermuda, is not one to step away from a challenge. The 2019 EARTH graduate, well-known locally for his agronomy skills and gardening expertise, is working diligently to develop the agricultural capacity of his home country in a sustainable and environmentally conscious way…

10/2025

Partnership for Good: Training, Equity, and Women’s Leadership in Action

EARTH Futures, Trudi’s y CARE Guatemala, se unieron para crear Alianzas para el Éxito, un proyecto que busca capacitar a mujeres y jóvenes en comunidades de Matina, Costa Rica, para que sean ellas quienes lideren iniciativas que impulsen la seguridad alimentaria, la economía local y el futuro de sus comunidades.

09/2025

A Solution for Climate Change: Reusing Plastic for Resilient Agriculture

Susan Yar Deng, a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at EARTH University (Class of 2028) is from South Sudan, but she was born in Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya, where thousands of people from different nationalities live and where daily needs are urgent and evident…

09/2025

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