Organizations Fighting Hunger
Leaf Nutrient, Inc.
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Description: Leaf Nutrient, Inc. has been making a notable difference in the mental and physical health for malnourished children and adults in Mexico since 1988 with just 10 grams, or two teaspoons, of alfalfa extract concentrate added to their daily diet. This provides enough extra balanced protein, vitamins, and minerals for normal growth. The children of families that participate are easily distinguished on the street from those whose families do not participate. They also do much better in school. Since entering the first village in rural Mexico, approximately 150 villages participate in LNI’s program. Many of these are part of the Coahuila State Family Development Program, DIF. These villages benefit from the donation of sets of the unique crushing machines and the training to process the extract themselves. The extract has been included in noodles distributed to hundreds of families and as a part of the public school lunches. Every day, approximately 10,000 children in Mexico participate in the program with the inclusion of the concentrate in their typical Mexican dishes: tortillas, bread, rice, lemonade, soup, hot sauce, etc. The simple village level process uses machines built in the country: the ladies clean and disinfect their alfalfa, they use the machines to crush it and to squeeze out the juice, and then they heat the juice so that the protein coagulate floats. This delicious coagulant juice concentrate, or extract, is composed of 50% balanced protein, chlorophyll, vitamins, and minerals. The leftover fiber pulp is fed to the family’s goats and cattle with no loss of milk production. Since the farmers already grow alfalfa to feed their stock, the alfalfa concentrate could be considered almost “free.” Leaf Nutrient, Inc. is currently implementing this program in a partnership with Hands in Service Ministries and local communities for a model program to alleviate malnutrition on a broader scale by integrating the alfalfa cellular concentrate production with gardening and animal husbandry for an ecological, self-sustaining community farm. An unrealized goal of LNI is to build a factory adjacent to a large dairy farm in both Mexico and the USA to provide a commercial source of dehydrated alfalfa juice concentrate that could be stored for one year. Additional funds and a new generation of volunteers are needed to expand this successful program. Leaf Nutrient, Inc. (LNI) is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 1988 and incorporated in 1990 in the state of Wisconsin to combat malnutrition among children living in poverty in Mexico and other underdeveloped countries. How to Help: Individuals and organizations that are interested in learning more about Leaf Nutrient, Inc. please contact: For general information: Noé Alfaro, MD, President Leaf Nutrient, Inc. naalfaro@prodigy.net.mx For information concerning the extraction and production of Click here to flag this profile as needing attention. |
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