Plenty provides technical assistance for economically disadvantaged families and organizations that want to learn safe and sustainable methods of growing soybeans and other dry legumes in rotation with corn, rice, root and/or vegetable crops.

The vast majority of people requesting information or support are seeking ways to improve family nutrition, food security and, at the same time, increase annual cash income. They are interested in adding value to traditional and non-traditional crops through adoption of food processing and marketing activities. Families receiving assistance have an average of 1 to 5 acres of land on which they produce grain, vegetable and/or fruit crops.

Most have received material (seed, fertilizer, pesticides) loans from government or private agencies to initiate production of crops for export (cacao, bananas, oranges, anato, pineapple) or local consumption (rice, peppers, root crops) with promises of continuing technical and marketing assistance. And, most have been repeatedly disillusioned by lack of follow-through on the part of agencies making those promises.

How does Plenty provide assistance?

Plenty encourages farming families and communities to retain or develop the capacity to provide for their own food needs. Field Staff work with local agronomists and agriculture research institutes to identify and distribute locally or regionally grown seed and plant varieties that are not genetically engineered and which can produce adequate yields. There are many individuals, farming groups, governments and research institutes regenerating high quality seeds and plant materials, ones that do not come from large commercial producers.

Farmers are encouraged to grow all their crops without use of chemical inputs, or begin to lessen their dependence on chemical inputs. Information is provided to remind families of the health and environmental dangers related to handling and using herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Plenty representatives distribute information about local, organic materials that can be used in replacement of chemical inputs.

Families are assisted in adapting field preparation, sanitation and crop rotation practices that will help prevent erosion of soil, lessen pest and disease problems, and retain soil fertility. Farming families are also assisted in developing home gardens and in adapting permaculture and reforestation practices.

Community organizations and individuals are assisted in accessing and learning to use appropriate tools and equipment, inputs that can help families achieve increased financial returns for their labor. Use of solar dryers and water pumps, roto-tillers, manual wheel seeders, plot threshers, grinding mills and newly designed hand implements can help families improve labor to income ratios for traditional and new crops.

Why does Plenty help people adapt small-scale production of soybeans and other legumes to local, traditional cultural practices?

• Under nourishment (protein, minerals and vitamins) and lack of food security are major, growing problems within economically disadvantaged communities and countries. Increasing availability of locally produced soybeans and other dry legumes improves the ability of families, communities and small countries to meet their nutrition requirements.
• Small countries and rural communities that do not have the capacity to provide for their own food needs, have no control over the price or quality of foods they purchase from other countries or major cities. The little money they earn is used for basic food needs.
• Introduction of labor saving tools and equipment helps families improve financial returns for labor output and encourages youth participation in agriculture activities.
• Production, processing and marketing of soybeans and other high nutrient, low input crops increases local employment opportunities.
• Many farming families are asking for assistance in learning to grow soybeans and other dry legumes in rotation with rice, corn, vegetable and other crops, helping them address pest and disease problems stemming from mono-cropping practices.
• Nutrition and medical specialists from around the world recognize the importance of, and are encouraging families to increase direct consumption of high nutrient legumes.

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Plenty’s Food Processing, Marketing and Nutrition Awareness Services

Plenty provides information and/or on-site technical assistance for families and communities that request help in starting or expanding food processing, marketing and/or nutrition education programs. Most requests come from individuals and community based organizations that have learned something about the nutrition qualities of soybeans, and economic benefits of establishing or expanding local production, processing and marketing services. Plenty has also supported development of cooperative organic herb tea, spice, corn masa, natural fruit candy and bread production and marketing initiatives.

The vast majority of individuals, organizations and institutions requesting information or direct assistance are working to improve nutrition awareness and community wide access to high nutrient and low cost food sources. They want to establish food processing and marketing businesses, some to support community clinics or other important social services. Non-profit development organizations, women’s associations/groups, urban and rural families, cooperatives, government health, education and agriculture representatives, hospitals, micro and small business owners have received technical and/or material support from Plenty for their soybean food processing, marketing and nutrition education initiatives. On-site technical services have been provided to communities in North and Central America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

How does Plenty provide assistance?

Plenty encourages families and communities to retain or develop the capacity to provide for their own nutrition needs. Requests for information about nutrition, processing methods, equipment, materials or marketing are answered by staff through email, regular mail and sometimes telephone calls. If staff can not answer a question, the individual will be referred to an organization or institution that can provide the information requested.

Many organizations want on-site technical assistance to help initiate or expand soy food processing, marketing and/or nutrition education programs. Often, the first stage of assistance is helping a group to identify all human and material resources they need to implement a desired program. Plenty can help some of those requesting support to develop proposals and/or outline small business plans. When resources are available to send staff or volunteers to provide on-site technical assistance, they usually help address one or more of the following areas interest:

• improving understanding of family nutrition needs, economic and nutrition values of soy and local foods, and how parents can address their family nutrition requirements;
• developing or expanding an education and/or small business development plan;
• identifying, purchasing and/or installing food processing equipment needed;
• helping local organization’s staff learn or improve soy food processing, distribution and marketing skills;
• assisting parents, health and education professionals to include use of soy foods within school based nutrition supplementation and education programs;
• assisting low income families learn methods of preparing and adapting use of soy foods within traditional meals; and/or
• supporting an organization’s efforts to articulate benefits of a proposed integrated soy food initiative and secure local resources for implementation.

Why does Plenty help people adapt use of soy foods within their cultural practices?

Plenty is responding to requests for assistance in establishing soy and other food processing, marketing and nutrition education programs because they can help families, communities and small countries address nutrition and economic development needs. The economic, nutrition and health benefits of including organic, non-genetically engineered soybean foods within family diets are well documented. Soybeans contain 35-40% high quality protein, while other dry legumes have from 5-10% protein. Good soybeans now cost about $0.50/lb at our local stores. From one pound of soybeans you can make 1 gallon of soy milk that has the same amount of protein as one gallon of cow’s/dairy milk costing $2.60, without the cholesterol and saturated fats. This shows that a family only has to pay 1/5 the price of cows milk to obtain equivalent nutrition from soy milk.

Undernourishment (protein, minerals and vitamins) and lack of food security are major, growing problems within economically disadvantaged communities and countries. Increasing availability of locally produced, high nutrient, low cost foods improves the ability of families, communities and small countries to meet their nutrition requirements.

Plenty’s food processing technical assistance helps individuals improve program design, management, outreach, processing and marketing knowledge and skills which can be used in other settings.

Local processing and marketing of soybeans and other high nutrient crops increases local employment opportunities and decreases family and community need to purchase imported products.

Scientists have stated that moderate consumption of soy foods can help prevent and treat chronic diseases. Nutrition and medical specialists from around the world recognize the importance of, and are encouraging families to increase direct consumption of high nutrient legumes.

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Health Benefits of Soy Foods, Resources

There is a lot of discussion recently about health and nutrition benefits of including soy foods within the human diet. Plenty maintains contact with leaders in the fields of nutrition, health, food processing and marketing, especially about new studies and findings related to soybeans and soy food products. Anyone who has questions or concerns about soy food nutrition, health or processing and marketing issues is welcome to contact Plenty representatives. If staff can not answer your questions, they will refer you to an organization or individual that hopefully can. It is suggested that people who have specific technical questions about new soy food research studies should contact one or more of the following individuals and organizations.

John Robbins, educator and author of "The Food Revolution" and "Diet for a New America" provides a detailed critique of recent negitive studies about soyfoods on his web site:
http://www.foodrevolution.org/what_about_soy.htm

Mark Messina, Ph.D, Food Science
Virginia Messina MPH, RD
Email: markm@olympus.net

Louise Hagler, author and educator
Email: soybeanqueen@yahoo.com

Tofu  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=111
Soybeans  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=79
Tempeh  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=126
Miso   http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=114

INTSOY  
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
169 Environmental and Agricultural Sciences Building
1101 West Peabody Drive
Urbana, IL, USA 61801-4723  
E-mail: intsoy@uiuc.edu
Phone: 217-333-6422
FAX: 217-333-5838
Web: www.ag.uiuc.edu/~intsoy/

Asociacion Americana de Soya
U.S. Agriculture Trade Office
Jaime Balmes #8, 2do.Piso
Col. Los Morales Polanco
Mexico, D.F. C. P. 11510
Email: asamex@soyamex.com.mx
Tel: 52-55-5281-0120, ext. 230
Fax: 52-55-5281-6154 and 281-0147
Web: www.asasoya.org/Offices/Mexico.htm