Creating sustainable jobs & clean burning biochar

Good afternoon.

We are glad to announce that we have raised the funds necessary to purchase a second oxen team and plow. This team will help support the crop development in Boucantiste, which is a couple of miles from our Bernaco farms, near our factory site.

The farmers and workers in Boucantiste have been requesting this ever since we bought our first plow a few years ago.

With the oxen team and steel plow they will be able to dig deeper furrows to plant their seeds and starts. This allows their crops to survive in dry regions, prevents wind erosion, and directs water for gravity-fed irrigation. Deep tillage also takes aim at soil fertility and crops yields.

Our first plow is now shared among dozens of farmers, and we envision this plow doing the same. That will hundreds of farmers growing higher yield crops and having an excess to take to market. Going to market means more income for other essentials needed to make a living in the mountains.

We that you for your ongoing support for this effort and look forward to your tax-free donations.

We are now in need of a mule team. For a year I have saying donkey team, but last month I was corrected by our Haitian team. Donkeys are smaller than mules and can carry less weight. 

Donkeys are an original species, while mules are a sterile hybrid cross between a male donkey and a female horse. Donkeys are typically smaller with long ears and an upright mane, whereas mules are larger, blending horse-like features with the donkey’s signature stamina and hardiness.

Mules inherit the size and strength of horses, but the endurance and terrain-tackling ability of donkeys.

A healthy, well-conditioned mule can comfortably carry between 20% to 30% of its body weight. For an average 1,000 to 1,200-pound mule, this translates to a working weight limit of 150 to 240 lbs. of gear or a rider.

A healthy, well-conditioned donkey can comfortably carry 20% to 25% of its total body weight. For an average-sized adult donkey weighing 500 lbs., this translates to about 100 to 125 lbs. of gear or a rider.

In Haiti, donkeys generally cost between $100 and $300 USD, depending on size and health. Mules command a premium—often selling for $500 to $1,000+ USD—due to their superior strength, stamina, and ability to navigate rugged terrain while carrying heavier cargo.

We have been trying to raise $2,000 for a donkey train, but what we really need is $10,000 for a mule train. I know this a big request, but with the train of ten mules we will be able to move more grass to the kiln, more sugar cane and congo beans to market and the farmers will also be able to take more of their crops down the mountain to market.

It will have great impact on our work and that of our neighbors.Please consider becoming a partner with BonZeb is this mission and ministry. Your comments are always appreciated.

Thank you.