Applying ‘SUGI GOHEI’ an initiative by a seminar participant back home in Dominican Republic- PREX Island

Ex-participants Messages
Applying ‘SUGI GOHEI’ an initiative by a seminar participant back home in Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic Ms Gil García Fior D’aliza Aurora

Ms Gil García Fior D’aliza Aurora, a staff member of the National Institute of Vocational technical Training (INFOTEP) , participated in the Central America and Caribbean Region Industrial Development by Public-Private Partnership seminar in fiscal 2011. She put into practice a case study, based on the “SUGI GOHEI” which she visited while in Japan, to a prison (with a capacity of 560 inmates). The report she made after returning home appears below. (We visited the plantation again for a seminar for Colombia, featured in this edition.) 

I visited “SUGI GOHEI”, which grows crops that are completely organic and free of pesticides. They are processed and made available at an on-site restaurant. In addition, there is animal breeding and an experience-based farm. I thought about trying to apply this system to an experimental village for eco-tourism development in Puerto Plata, because the village is located in a place of scenic beauty with cultivated land, and the people had already started to tackle a similar kind of thinking found at the “SUGI GOHEI”. But the project suffered setbacks due to worsened road conditions and a resulting decrease of tourist numbers. 
Still, I didn’t give up. After some trial and error, cooperation came from the National Employment Service and the prison. The organic cultivation of vegetables and raising chickens and rabbits went ahead as a labor activity required of prisoners. 
Training by INFOTEP got underway from 2012. During a three-year period until 2014, 303 of the prisoners who completed the training were engaged in the organic vegetable cultivation, 124 in chicken breeding and 16 raising rabbits, a total of 443. Six of those involved in the vegetable farming were made leaders, put in charge of cultivation. Also, the vegetables originally allocated for consumption within the prison were gradually made available in the region, allowing us to earn profits. Of the salaries earned by the prisoners for their work, 50 percent is handed to their families and 30 percent saved for post-rehabilitation. 
These efforts were highly acclaimed, and we obtained cooperation for technical guidance and establishing farms from the Ministry and Agriculture and Office of the President. Furthermore, ties developed with the local community, which kindly provided many contributions. 
Through cooperation with the ministry and others and coordination with the National Employment Service, we have been able to support the prisoners, their families and the areas of society involved in prisons and prisoners. 
Learning about “SUGI GOHEI” initiative at the seminars in Japan turned out to be a huge turning point for me.

Mr. Gohei Nojima, owner of “SUGI GOHEI”, said he recalled the astonishment and joy at the news about a seminar participant who went on to forge ties among organic farming and the social rehabilitation of prisoners.

• Date : March 10, 2016
• Name : Ms Gil García Fior D'aliza Aurora
• Seminar : the Central America and Caribbean Region Industrial Development by Public-Private Partnership seminar in fiscal 2011
• job name : staff member