My name is Jonathan Zoba and I have a vision for an organization, EDENIC DEVELOPMENT, to become a cooperative effort on behalf of humankind to develop land for the benefit of all. Having spent a portion of my childhood growing up in the two-thirds world, Honduras, I have in my heart a desire to improve the welfare of those in need as well as to discover improved techniques of living for the developed world.

Growing up I spent much time communing with nature in the mountains of Honduras, the prairies and woods of Illinois, and the rocky forests of Massachusetts. I got my BA at Gordon College in Wenham MA, majoring in art to gain skills in creative problem solving and representational illustration. All four years of college I worked for the grounds department, which taught me fundamentals of land maintenance and more importantly, how to efficiently work with others. I also spent an immersion semester in New York City to be exposed to the forefront of contemporary fine art in order to tune in to the trends of modern thinking.

After graduating I got a job with Kalmia Design, a landscape design and construction company. There I learned the basics of masonry, grading, planting, and general construction. I gained much insight into contending with land physically, aesthetically and logistically. I was also provided an opportunity to take a landscape drafting class at Harvard University to further my technical ability in landscape design.

During the winter off last year I traveled through Central America informally researching sustainable development and agriculture. Going from small organic hillside farms to vast industrial banana plantations I gained a spectrum of insight as to how land is being used, as well as manifold philosophies of how it should be used. I talked to socialists in Nicaragua who have been running a coffee cooperative for generations as well as capitalists affirming economic development as the basis of social improvement.

Mark Teiwes and I at the conclusion of  our Central American adventure last winter.  

Upon reflection of my experiences I have settled on a project in northern Honduras to initiate my vision of EDENIC DEVELOPMENT. Through a sustainable agriculture intensive I took at Gordon College I was introduced to a humble man, Larry Smoak, who has devoted that last ten years of his life to a small community in the Cangrejal river valley south of La Ceiba. His vision is centered on social service as the core of his project involving the care of orphans and the elderly as well as offering assistance to subsistence farmers. Beyond the work he does ministering to the immediate needs of his village, he has a demonstration/experimentation farm on a steep hillside, which offers life-giving blessings not only for the season but for generations to come.

The indigenous farmers in his community are reduced to cultivating small plots of land on the steep hillside of Honduras’ mountainous terrain. They farm there because the fertile plains and valleys are unavailable, as they have been bought out by foreign companies including Dole and Chiquita and by the few wealthy of Honduras’ own population.

The technique of farming Larry practices works to not only prevent soil erosion but also to improve soil quality in the long run. This more efficient and sustainable technique has the potential of not only improving the quality of life of these farmers, but also to protect the environment. The simplicity and humanness of Larry’s vision is what has convinced me to devote the next eight months of my life to assisting him this mission.

Having been equipped with a well rounded education in art and design as well as 6 years of hands on landscaping experience I feel that working with this project is next step in bringing into fruition the EDENIC vision.

It is my hope that others will catch the vision of social service through sustainable land development and will participate in EDENIC DEVELOPMENT either through monetary donation, actual service or by whatever means they feel led to help bring EDEN to earth once again.