Learning From the Soil: GrowFlo, Agriculture, and the Knowledge Sister Portia Is Restoring

For many people, the conversation around health begins too late—after symptoms appear, after prescriptions are written, after damage has already been done. But according to agricultural educator Sister Portia, CEO of GROWFLO (G-R-O-W-F-L-O), the real conversation about health should begin much earlier, in a place most people overlook entirely: the soil.

GrowFlo is an agriculture education platform rooted in the idea that food literacy is health literacy. The platform exists to help people understand not just what they eat, but how that food is grown, what it absorbs from the soil, and how those growing conditions affect the body over time. Much of this framework comes directly from the teachings and practical guidance of Sister Portia, whose work emphasizes agriculture as a foundational life skill rather than a niche interest.

In conversations and educational sessions shared through GrowFlo, Sister Portia often points out that most people eat daily without ever being taught how food is produced. That gap, she explains, leaves individuals dependent on systems that prioritize volume and profit over nutrition and long-term wellness. GrowFlo was created to close that gap through accessible education.

One of the examples Sister Portia frequently uses is ginger. Ginger grows underground, meaning it absorbs everything present in the soil—both nutrients and contaminants. This is why, she explains, organic growing matters so much, especially for root crops. Clean soil produces clean roots, and clean roots produce food that can actually support digestion, reduce inflammation, and strengthen the body as intended.

The same principle applies to turmeric, another underground crop widely praised for its health benefits. Sister Portia stresses that turmeric’s value doesn’t come from hype or marketing, but from how it is grown. When soil is compromised, the plant is compromised. When soil is healthy, the plant can fully express its medicinal properties. In this way, soil quality becomes a direct health issue—not an abstract environmental concern.

A recurring theme in Sister Portia’s guidance is that bigger is not always better. Modern agriculture often prioritizes size, speed, and shelf life, but those priorities rarely align with human health. Food grown with care, patience, and attention to soil health often carries greater nutritional value, better flavor, and stronger benefits for the body.

GrowFlo’s educational approach reflects this mindset. Rather than overwhelming people, it focuses on practical understanding—how composting food scraps can rebuild soil, how starting plants from seed gives growers more control, and how even small growing efforts can reduce dependence on processed foods. These teachings, drawn directly from Sister Portia’s experience, are designed to meet people where they are.

What distinguishes GrowFlo is its emphasis on responsibility through knowledge. Sister Portia’s contributions consistently point toward the idea that when people understand agriculture, they begin to make better decisions about what they consume and how they live. This understanding shifts people from being passive consumers to active participants in their own well-being.

At its core, GrowFlo is not just about growing food—it’s about restoring awareness. It’s about remembering skills that were once common, passing them down, and rebuilding a healthier relationship with the earth and with our bodies. As Sister Portia often reminds those learning through GrowFlo, growing food is not a lost art. It is a forgotten one—and remembering it may be essential for the future of our health.

Because when the soil is healthy, the plant is healthy. And when the plant is healthy, the people who eat from it are healthier too.

—GrowFlo (G-R-O-W-F-L-O)Guided by the agricultural education and insight of Sister Portia, CEOCultivating knowledge. Restoring balance. Growing from the ground up.