INAUGURATION OF THE PLANT PROPAGATION CENTRE IN DOSMOND
(Haiti Libre) -
The first Plant Propagation Centre, was inaugurated in the town of Dosmond, near Ouanaminthe, as part of the Caribbean Biological Corridor Project, in the presence of Joseph Ronald Toussaint, Environment Minister, the Divisional Delegate of the Northeast, Departmental Director of Agriculture, and representatives of the European Union.
"This is the first phase of the Plant Propagation Centre for plants that we just inaugurated as part of a South-South cooperation for Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, funded by the EU. The second phase will involve training, which will extend to entrepreneurs; with Haitian and Dominican professors", declared the Minister of Environment.
This Centre, which will produce up to 4.2 million seedlings annually (3 cycles), is funded to the tune of $6 million euros by the European Union (EU), and will also be used as a training center for communities for all of the participating countries in the Caribbean Biological Corridor.
Through the joint efforts of Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the development of this initiative, shows that the environmental rehabilitation and alternative livelihoods for sustainable development are possible.
Showing posts with label Articles - Agriculture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Articles - Agriculture. Show all posts
Monday, June 18, 2012
ARTICLE - GLOBAL CHALLENGE - FOOD SECURITY
THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE OF FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY
(Washington Post) - By Paul Polman and Daniel Servitje
Paul Polman is chief executive officer of Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies. Daniel Servitje is chief executive officer of Group Bimbo, the largest baking company in the world. They are co-chairs of B-20, the food security task force for the Group of 20.
Imagine all the food mankind has produced over the past 8,000 years. Now consider that we need to produce that same amount again — but in just the next 40 years if we are to feed our growing and hungry world.
Seven billion people live on Earth, and the population is growing by 77 million every year. That’s a country the size of Indonesia every three years. By 2050, 9 billion people will live on our planet.
Amid this rapid growth, more than 850 million people go to bed hungry. An additional billion do not get sufficient nutrients in their diet.
These data are both unacceptably high and a stain on our collective conscience.
There are lifetime health implications for those unfortunate people, as well as considerable negative impacts on economic productivity and significant costs of health care.
To alleviate this situation, global food production must increase 70 percent by 2050.
The planet is already stressed — about water in particular — and most of its next 2 billion inhabitants will be born in areas where the stresses are greatest. The United Nations expects India, China and Nigeria to be the world’s most populous nations in 2050.
And things are not getting any easier. The agricultural sector accounts for 70 percent of water use and up to 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change could reduce yields by more than 20 percent in many areas within developing countries — think of the floods in Thailand and the droughts in the Horn of Africa. Changing temperatures also contribute to food price volatility, which has a direct affect on the poor and on child nutrition.
Agriculture faces dual challenges: becoming more sustainable on a dwindling resource base while having to feed an increasing number of people. To provide food and nutrition security in the coming decades will require a major and sustained effort by all stakeholders, including business.
We believe that this requires a new vision for sustainable and equitable growth.
The good news is that food security is firmly on the political agenda of the Group of Eight, the Group of 20 and at this week’s U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). And business has been invited to contribute.
As co-chairs of the B-20 Food Security Task Force, we have led a group of CEOs and other stakeholders to provide actionable recommendations for the G-20 to achieve a 50 percent increase in production and productivity by 2030.
We have proposed detailed recommendations to encourage governments to adopt national food and nutrition security programs (supported by public-private partnerships). Most critically, companies have committed to investing $15 billion to help boost agricultural productivity 50 percent by 2030.
We have identified five priority areas: increasing investment in agricultural productivity; improving market function; ensuring more sustainable food production (including water resource management); accelerating access to technology; and integrating and prioritizing nutritional needs.
This productivity growth must deliver food and nutrition security for all in an environmentally sustainable manner, while ensuring improved livelihoods and income for farmers. Going forward, farmers will have to double the annual yield increase — and we need to reach out to 500 million smallholder farms, or 2 billion people, who produce most of the agricultural output in developing countries.
Women make up 43 percent of developing world farmers. We need targeted programs to help them increase their productivity and earning potential. The protection of land tenure rights and access to finance, including risk management tools, would be key enablers.
Thirty to 40 percent of agricultural produce gets lost between the farm and the consumer. We need to strengthen capacity along the value chain to reduce waste while improving the nutritional value and food safety for consumers to optimize productivity.
Considerable areas of the world are clearly food-deficient. We need to make it easier to transport goods from suppliers and to promote the development of local sourcing, which helps to develop local markets and reduce urban migration. We need trade policies that increase the exchange of sustainable agricultural goods. Reducing trade-distorting support and protection could provide significant opportunities for farmers while expanding consumers’ access to affordable foods.
Resources for food production will become scarce. A sustainable response to global challenges is the acid test for companies everywhere — not just producers but also suppliers and retailers, as well as international organizations, governments, NGOs and citizens.
We all need to work together. Bodies such as the World Economic Forum have an opportunity to really prove their worth. The G-20 can help us implement concrete actions. A hungry world expects nothing less.
(Washington Post) - By Paul Polman and Daniel Servitje
Paul Polman is chief executive officer of Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies. Daniel Servitje is chief executive officer of Group Bimbo, the largest baking company in the world. They are co-chairs of B-20, the food security task force for the Group of 20.
Imagine all the food mankind has produced over the past 8,000 years. Now consider that we need to produce that same amount again — but in just the next 40 years if we are to feed our growing and hungry world.
Seven billion people live on Earth, and the population is growing by 77 million every year. That’s a country the size of Indonesia every three years. By 2050, 9 billion people will live on our planet.
Amid this rapid growth, more than 850 million people go to bed hungry. An additional billion do not get sufficient nutrients in their diet.
These data are both unacceptably high and a stain on our collective conscience.
There are lifetime health implications for those unfortunate people, as well as considerable negative impacts on economic productivity and significant costs of health care.
To alleviate this situation, global food production must increase 70 percent by 2050.
The planet is already stressed — about water in particular — and most of its next 2 billion inhabitants will be born in areas where the stresses are greatest. The United Nations expects India, China and Nigeria to be the world’s most populous nations in 2050.
And things are not getting any easier. The agricultural sector accounts for 70 percent of water use and up to 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change could reduce yields by more than 20 percent in many areas within developing countries — think of the floods in Thailand and the droughts in the Horn of Africa. Changing temperatures also contribute to food price volatility, which has a direct affect on the poor and on child nutrition.
Agriculture faces dual challenges: becoming more sustainable on a dwindling resource base while having to feed an increasing number of people. To provide food and nutrition security in the coming decades will require a major and sustained effort by all stakeholders, including business.
We believe that this requires a new vision for sustainable and equitable growth.
The good news is that food security is firmly on the political agenda of the Group of Eight, the Group of 20 and at this week’s U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). And business has been invited to contribute.
As co-chairs of the B-20 Food Security Task Force, we have led a group of CEOs and other stakeholders to provide actionable recommendations for the G-20 to achieve a 50 percent increase in production and productivity by 2030.
We have proposed detailed recommendations to encourage governments to adopt national food and nutrition security programs (supported by public-private partnerships). Most critically, companies have committed to investing $15 billion to help boost agricultural productivity 50 percent by 2030.
We have identified five priority areas: increasing investment in agricultural productivity; improving market function; ensuring more sustainable food production (including water resource management); accelerating access to technology; and integrating and prioritizing nutritional needs.
This productivity growth must deliver food and nutrition security for all in an environmentally sustainable manner, while ensuring improved livelihoods and income for farmers. Going forward, farmers will have to double the annual yield increase — and we need to reach out to 500 million smallholder farms, or 2 billion people, who produce most of the agricultural output in developing countries.
Women make up 43 percent of developing world farmers. We need targeted programs to help them increase their productivity and earning potential. The protection of land tenure rights and access to finance, including risk management tools, would be key enablers.
Thirty to 40 percent of agricultural produce gets lost between the farm and the consumer. We need to strengthen capacity along the value chain to reduce waste while improving the nutritional value and food safety for consumers to optimize productivity.
Considerable areas of the world are clearly food-deficient. We need to make it easier to transport goods from suppliers and to promote the development of local sourcing, which helps to develop local markets and reduce urban migration. We need trade policies that increase the exchange of sustainable agricultural goods. Reducing trade-distorting support and protection could provide significant opportunities for farmers while expanding consumers’ access to affordable foods.
Resources for food production will become scarce. A sustainable response to global challenges is the acid test for companies everywhere — not just producers but also suppliers and retailers, as well as international organizations, governments, NGOs and citizens.
We all need to work together. Bodies such as the World Economic Forum have an opportunity to really prove their worth. The G-20 can help us implement concrete actions. A hungry world expects nothing less.
ARTICLE - BUGS IN FARMING
BUGS HAVE KEY ROLE IN FARMING APPROACH TO STORING CO2 EMISSIONS
(Science Daily) -
Tiny microbes are at the heart of a novel agricultural technique to manage harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists have discovered how microbes can be used to turn carbon dioxide emissions into soil-enriching limestone, with the help of a type of tree that thrives in tropical areas, such as West Africa.
Researchers have found that when the Iroko tree is grown in dry, acidic soil and treated with a combination of natural fungus and bacteria, not only does the tree flourish, it also produces the mineral limestone in the soil around its roots.
The Iroko tree makes a mineral by combining calcium from Earth with CO2 from the atmosphere. The bacteria then create the conditions under which this mineral turns into limestone. The discovery offers a novel way to lock carbon into the soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere.
In addition to storing carbon in the trees' leaves and in the form of limestone, the mineral in the soil makes it more suitable for agriculture.
The discovery could lead to reforestation projects in tropical countries, and help reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the developing world. It has already been used in West Africa and is being tested in Bolivia, Haiti and India.
The findings were made in a three-year project involving researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh, Granada, Lausanne and Neuchatel, Delft University of Technology, and commercial partner Biomim-Greenloop. The project examined several microbiological methods for locking up CO2 as limestone, and the Iroko-bacteria pathway showed best results. Work was funded by the European Commission under the Future & Emerging Technologies (FET) scheme.
Dr Bryne Ngwenya of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who led the consortium, said: "By taking advantage of this natural limestone-producing process, we have a low-tech, safe, readily employed and easily maintained way to lock carbon out of the atmosphere, while enriching farming conditions in tropical countries."
Tiny microbes are at the heart of a novel agricultural technique to manage harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists have discovered how microbes can be used to turn carbon dioxide emissions into soil-enriching limestone, with the help of a type of tree that thrives in tropical areas, such as West Africa.
Researchers have found that when the Iroko tree is grown in dry, acidic soil and treated with a combination of natural fungus and bacteria, not only does the tree flourish, it also produces the mineral limestone in the soil around its roots.
The Iroko tree makes a mineral by combining calcium from Earth with CO2 from the atmosphere. The bacteria then create the conditions under which this mineral turns into limestone. The discovery offers a novel way to lock carbon into the soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere.
In addition to storing carbon in the trees' leaves and in the form of limestone, the mineral in the soil makes it more suitable for agriculture.
The discovery could lead to reforestation projects in tropical countries, and help reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the developing world. It has already been used in West Africa and is being tested in Bolivia, Haiti and India.
The findings were made in a three-year project involving researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh, Granada, Lausanne and Neuchatel, Delft University of Technology, and commercial partner Biomim-Greenloop. The project examined several microbiological methods for locking up CO2 as limestone, and the Iroko-bacteria pathway showed best results. Work was funded by the European Commission under the Future & Emerging Technologies (FET) scheme.
Dr Bryne Ngwenya of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who led the consortium, said: "By taking advantage of this natural limestone-producing process, we have a low-tech, safe, readily employed and easily maintained way to lock carbon out of the atmosphere, while enriching farming conditions in tropical countries."
Friday, June 15, 2012
ARTICLE - ORGANIC EGG, POULTRY PRODUCTION
U.S. AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC KILLING HAITIAN ORGANIC EGG, POULTRY PRODUCTION
(Alterpresse) - By Ronel Odatte - Translated by Dady Chery
Massive importation of eggs and poultry a worry for Central Plateau producers
Hinche – In the Central Plateau, those who keep hen houses, or live in one way or another from poultry, are angry at Haitian authorities, whom they accuse of taking a passive attitude toward an increased importation of eggs and chicken parts into the Haitian market, according to an interview with the online agency AlterPresse.
Poultry farmers in the Central Plateau, close to the Dominican border from which these products come from, are most worried. “Too many people are interested in selling imported chicken parts, and many consume them without flinching. How could I hope to benefit from my production of eggs and poultry”, complained Camille Joseph, a veterinarian and owner of two barns in Papaye (10 km northeast of Hinche).
Joseph urges the Martelly-Lamothe administration to take concrete measures to protect local agricultural production, including livestock.
Camille Joseph also encourages people to eat local products to safeguard their own health. “If you eat eggs and meat from our hen houses, you will live much longer, because they are organic,” she notes.
Young farmer Jonas Louicius, who recently built a small barn in the town of Decide (Juanaria section of the town of Hinche), plans to abort his initiative because the importers of foreign poultry aren’t giving him a break. “I was selling a very large variety of birds like: guinea fowl, hens, roosters, pigeons, ducks and turkeys. But, because of the foreign imports of poultry, our customers are now turning away, ” he says.
In the towns of Mirebalais and Lascahobas in the lower Central Plateau, the sale of imported chickens and other poultry is widespread. “I will get together with all the ranchers and poultry farmers in the Central Plateau to give a proportional response to this prejudice,” said producer Waking Novembre, who runs his own barn. “I have already taken huge losses. Last year (2011) alone, I recorded a deficit of 200,000 Haitian gourdes [$4,650; U.S. $ 1.00 = 43.00 gourdes, 1 euro = 58.00 gourdes]. The influx of Dominican hens forced us to sell ours at a ridiculous price,” added Novembre.
The farmers and peasants who farm and trade in organic chickens in the Central Plateau, expressed their fears about the massive influx of eggs and poultry (from outside Haiti) onto the domestic market.
They complain about being unable to sell their products like before.
Those who sell freshwater fish — from local culture systems in small lakes in the Central Plateau Department — are also affected by a substantial and incessant inflow of imported fish. “People are no longer interested in our poultry because of the influx of imported meats,” lamented Jacques Macula, a resident of Maissade (upper Central Plateau), who has been selling chickens since 1995.
To have a choice…
Consumers and consumer advocates, for their part, defend themselves by saying they don’t always have a choice.
Mirana Sarius, a young woman of 26 from Cite Silence — a neighborhood of Hinche — says she prefers to buy imported meats and eggs because they are cheaper. “With 150.00 gourdes ($3.50), we can get several pieces of chicken and even a decent-size fish,” she argues, juggling the variables of comparison shopping. “I know very well that these products could affect my health. But what interests me at the moment is how much,” she acknowledges.
There are too many imported products on the local market. People have no alternative but to pick those most accessible and dangerous, argues Philippe Florestan, a carpenter from Hinche’s city center (upper Central Plateau). “To buy organic eggs from the local market I need 20.00 gourdes (46 cents), whereas eggs imported from the Dominican Republic or the U.S. cost 14.00 gourdes (32 cents). Is it unfair to want to save 6.00 gourdes (14 cents)?” Florestan asked herself.
(Alterpresse) - By Ronel Odatte - Translated by Dady Chery
Massive importation of eggs and poultry a worry for Central Plateau producers
Hinche – In the Central Plateau, those who keep hen houses, or live in one way or another from poultry, are angry at Haitian authorities, whom they accuse of taking a passive attitude toward an increased importation of eggs and chicken parts into the Haitian market, according to an interview with the online agency AlterPresse.
Poultry farmers in the Central Plateau, close to the Dominican border from which these products come from, are most worried. “Too many people are interested in selling imported chicken parts, and many consume them without flinching. How could I hope to benefit from my production of eggs and poultry”, complained Camille Joseph, a veterinarian and owner of two barns in Papaye (10 km northeast of Hinche).
Joseph urges the Martelly-Lamothe administration to take concrete measures to protect local agricultural production, including livestock.
Camille Joseph also encourages people to eat local products to safeguard their own health. “If you eat eggs and meat from our hen houses, you will live much longer, because they are organic,” she notes.
Young farmer Jonas Louicius, who recently built a small barn in the town of Decide (Juanaria section of the town of Hinche), plans to abort his initiative because the importers of foreign poultry aren’t giving him a break. “I was selling a very large variety of birds like: guinea fowl, hens, roosters, pigeons, ducks and turkeys. But, because of the foreign imports of poultry, our customers are now turning away, ” he says.
In the towns of Mirebalais and Lascahobas in the lower Central Plateau, the sale of imported chickens and other poultry is widespread. “I will get together with all the ranchers and poultry farmers in the Central Plateau to give a proportional response to this prejudice,” said producer Waking Novembre, who runs his own barn. “I have already taken huge losses. Last year (2011) alone, I recorded a deficit of 200,000 Haitian gourdes [$4,650; U.S. $ 1.00 = 43.00 gourdes, 1 euro = 58.00 gourdes]. The influx of Dominican hens forced us to sell ours at a ridiculous price,” added Novembre.
The farmers and peasants who farm and trade in organic chickens in the Central Plateau, expressed their fears about the massive influx of eggs and poultry (from outside Haiti) onto the domestic market.
They complain about being unable to sell their products like before.
Those who sell freshwater fish — from local culture systems in small lakes in the Central Plateau Department — are also affected by a substantial and incessant inflow of imported fish. “People are no longer interested in our poultry because of the influx of imported meats,” lamented Jacques Macula, a resident of Maissade (upper Central Plateau), who has been selling chickens since 1995.
To have a choice…
Consumers and consumer advocates, for their part, defend themselves by saying they don’t always have a choice.
Mirana Sarius, a young woman of 26 from Cite Silence — a neighborhood of Hinche — says she prefers to buy imported meats and eggs because they are cheaper. “With 150.00 gourdes ($3.50), we can get several pieces of chicken and even a decent-size fish,” she argues, juggling the variables of comparison shopping. “I know very well that these products could affect my health. But what interests me at the moment is how much,” she acknowledges.
There are too many imported products on the local market. People have no alternative but to pick those most accessible and dangerous, argues Philippe Florestan, a carpenter from Hinche’s city center (upper Central Plateau). “To buy organic eggs from the local market I need 20.00 gourdes (46 cents), whereas eggs imported from the Dominican Republic or the U.S. cost 14.00 gourdes (32 cents). Is it unfair to want to save 6.00 gourdes (14 cents)?” Florestan asked herself.
Monday, June 11, 2012
ARTICLE - U.S. BAN ON DRIED MANGOES
HAITIAN MAYOR LASHES OUT AT U.S. BAN ON DRIED MANGOES
(Defend Haiti) -
GROS-MORNE - A dried mango plant in Gros-Morne was closed due to the decision of the United States to ban the sale of dried mangoes from Haiti, a decision Vice-Mayor Beauger Rubin calls a "slap in the face," to Haitian local production.
Hygiene conditions in the treatment of mangoes were not to the taste of U.S. authorities, according to the decision-makers.
Vice-Mayor Rubin of the township of Gros-Morne in the Upper Artibonite, did not accept the prohibition of the sale of dried mangoes from Haiti in the U.S.
In an interview, Rubin expressed regret at the U.S. decision, and said that it has forced producers in the city to lose an important market for their delicious mangoes.
"It is a blow to local authorities, who have opened a plant for drying mangoes," said the deputy mayor. "Due to this measure, the Gros Morne plant was closed. The U.S. is a major potential customer to sell this product..."
"Dried mangoes were exported to the U.S. by a previous company," he says, and "had never caused health problems in the U.S. population."
Beauger Rubin wonders why every time the Haitian authorities take measures to lift the people out of poverty, there are always other institutions (national or international) that react adversely.
"The hygiene problem raised by the United States to prohibit the sale and consumption of dried mangoes from Haiti, is a false problem... this is a slap to the Haitian people" said the Deputy Mayor.
(Defend Haiti) -
GROS-MORNE - A dried mango plant in Gros-Morne was closed due to the decision of the United States to ban the sale of dried mangoes from Haiti, a decision Vice-Mayor Beauger Rubin calls a "slap in the face," to Haitian local production.
Hygiene conditions in the treatment of mangoes were not to the taste of U.S. authorities, according to the decision-makers.
Vice-Mayor Rubin of the township of Gros-Morne in the Upper Artibonite, did not accept the prohibition of the sale of dried mangoes from Haiti in the U.S.
In an interview, Rubin expressed regret at the U.S. decision, and said that it has forced producers in the city to lose an important market for their delicious mangoes.
"It is a blow to local authorities, who have opened a plant for drying mangoes," said the deputy mayor. "Due to this measure, the Gros Morne plant was closed. The U.S. is a major potential customer to sell this product..."
"Dried mangoes were exported to the U.S. by a previous company," he says, and "had never caused health problems in the U.S. population."
Beauger Rubin wonders why every time the Haitian authorities take measures to lift the people out of poverty, there are always other institutions (national or international) that react adversely.
"The hygiene problem raised by the United States to prohibit the sale and consumption of dried mangoes from Haiti, is a false problem... this is a slap to the Haitian people" said the Deputy Mayor.
ARTICLE - BAHAMAS - AGRICULTURE EMBARGO
HAITI AGRICULTURE EMBARGO RAISES COSTS FIVE TIMES
(Tribune 422) - By Neil Hartnell
The Bahamas has been urged to end its embargo on direct agriculture imports from Haiti, with the current system thought to quintuple produce costs via Florida-based middlemen as it transits through the US.
Speaking to Tribune Business ahead of the proposed Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation's (BCCEC) likely trade mission to Haiti in September this year, Chester Cooper, the organisation's chairman, said the current health-related barrier to direct imports from the Bahamas' southern neighbour "stifles trade" and drives up costs for consumers in this nation.
He suggested that by creating a Bahamian inspection station in Haiti, so that this nation's officials could inspect agricultural produce for health and safety issues before they were imported here, direct trade between the two nations would increase to such an extent that it would open up new shipping routes.
And, ultimately, Mr Cooper said increased trade could have the effect of bolstering Haiti's economic stability and reducing the flow of illegal migrants northwards to the Bahamas, creating a win-win for both nations.
Recalling that the embargo on direct Haitian agricultural imports had been raised as a key issue on the last BCCEC trade mission to that country in 2007-2008, Mr Cooper told Tribune Business: "Regrettably, there hasn't been any advancement on the issue.
"I've spoken with Phillip Miller at the Ministry of Agriculture, and understand they have tried to make some moves on the issue, and then there was the earthquake, and cholera. There's always something that throws the mission off."
While a Bahamian team had previously visited Haiti to see if this nation could establish an agricultural inspection facility there, Mr Cooper said this had occurred several years ago before the earthquake that devastated the Bahamas' southern neighbour.
Of the existing embargo, Mr Cooper told Tribune Business: "It stifles direct trade itself. If we can generate the volumes, we can get more efficient shipping routes between the Bahamas and Haiti. But, so long as the volumes are so low, it creates inefficiencies in pricing."
If just two boxes of mangos were being shipped from Haiti to the Bahamas, Mr Cooper said it would be more cost effective to send them through the US anyway, rather than direct to this nation. If volumes rose, the demand for direct shipping would, too, ultimately leading to the creation of new shipping companies and routes between the two countries.
Tribune Business understands that if mangos are sold in Haiti for $0.20 per product, Florida-based wholesalers may charge as much as $1 for them once they have reached the US - a mark up of five times, or 400 per cent.
"In effect, produce coming into the Bahamas from Haiti passes the Bahamas, transits the US as they have US Department of Agriculture inspection on the ground that facilitates trade to the US," Mr Cooper said.
"A box of Haitian mangos, for example, might eventually find its way to the Bahamas after transiting the middleman in Florida, who would've tacked on their mark-up. This is most inefficient and drives up the costs to Bahamians unnecessarily. There were no doubt good reasons for this position, but it has now been several decades and this should be promptly reviewed."
He added: "The Bahamas government should put in place its own inspection protocols and expedite the removal of these restrictions. Ending the embargo will not only reduce the cost of Haitian products imported to the Bahamas, and improve trade but, taking it to the logical conclusion, it might help the Haitian economy and our relations with Haiti by improving commerce."
Mr Cooper added that if the Government was to "commit" to removing obstacles such as the direct agriculture embargo, it would open up more trade and investment opportunities between the Bahamas and Haiti, and encourage more businesses to go on the September trade mission.
"It's important on many levels," he added. "If we can achieve it, obviously there's the commercial aspect and it would make some contribution to the Haitian economy. If we take it to its logical conclusion, the more liberalised the Haitian economy is, the fewer Haitians will migrate illegally to the Bahamas.
"From a macroeconomic point of view, down the road the more trade Haiti gets, the better for everybody. We'll be working hand-in-hand with the Government on these issues.
"We live in a very open economy and import the bulk of the goods we use here. Typically, we import goods from south Florida. The south Floridians bring them in from elsewhere, and it's important for us to create diverse linkages where possible to reduce the overall cost of food."
(Tribune 422) - By Neil Hartnell
The Bahamas has been urged to end its embargo on direct agriculture imports from Haiti, with the current system thought to quintuple produce costs via Florida-based middlemen as it transits through the US.
Speaking to Tribune Business ahead of the proposed Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation's (BCCEC) likely trade mission to Haiti in September this year, Chester Cooper, the organisation's chairman, said the current health-related barrier to direct imports from the Bahamas' southern neighbour "stifles trade" and drives up costs for consumers in this nation.
He suggested that by creating a Bahamian inspection station in Haiti, so that this nation's officials could inspect agricultural produce for health and safety issues before they were imported here, direct trade between the two nations would increase to such an extent that it would open up new shipping routes.
And, ultimately, Mr Cooper said increased trade could have the effect of bolstering Haiti's economic stability and reducing the flow of illegal migrants northwards to the Bahamas, creating a win-win for both nations.
Recalling that the embargo on direct Haitian agricultural imports had been raised as a key issue on the last BCCEC trade mission to that country in 2007-2008, Mr Cooper told Tribune Business: "Regrettably, there hasn't been any advancement on the issue.
"I've spoken with Phillip Miller at the Ministry of Agriculture, and understand they have tried to make some moves on the issue, and then there was the earthquake, and cholera. There's always something that throws the mission off."
While a Bahamian team had previously visited Haiti to see if this nation could establish an agricultural inspection facility there, Mr Cooper said this had occurred several years ago before the earthquake that devastated the Bahamas' southern neighbour.
Of the existing embargo, Mr Cooper told Tribune Business: "It stifles direct trade itself. If we can generate the volumes, we can get more efficient shipping routes between the Bahamas and Haiti. But, so long as the volumes are so low, it creates inefficiencies in pricing."
If just two boxes of mangos were being shipped from Haiti to the Bahamas, Mr Cooper said it would be more cost effective to send them through the US anyway, rather than direct to this nation. If volumes rose, the demand for direct shipping would, too, ultimately leading to the creation of new shipping companies and routes between the two countries.
Tribune Business understands that if mangos are sold in Haiti for $0.20 per product, Florida-based wholesalers may charge as much as $1 for them once they have reached the US - a mark up of five times, or 400 per cent.
"In effect, produce coming into the Bahamas from Haiti passes the Bahamas, transits the US as they have US Department of Agriculture inspection on the ground that facilitates trade to the US," Mr Cooper said.
"A box of Haitian mangos, for example, might eventually find its way to the Bahamas after transiting the middleman in Florida, who would've tacked on their mark-up. This is most inefficient and drives up the costs to Bahamians unnecessarily. There were no doubt good reasons for this position, but it has now been several decades and this should be promptly reviewed."
He added: "The Bahamas government should put in place its own inspection protocols and expedite the removal of these restrictions. Ending the embargo will not only reduce the cost of Haitian products imported to the Bahamas, and improve trade but, taking it to the logical conclusion, it might help the Haitian economy and our relations with Haiti by improving commerce."
Mr Cooper added that if the Government was to "commit" to removing obstacles such as the direct agriculture embargo, it would open up more trade and investment opportunities between the Bahamas and Haiti, and encourage more businesses to go on the September trade mission.
"It's important on many levels," he added. "If we can achieve it, obviously there's the commercial aspect and it would make some contribution to the Haitian economy. If we take it to its logical conclusion, the more liberalised the Haitian economy is, the fewer Haitians will migrate illegally to the Bahamas.
"From a macroeconomic point of view, down the road the more trade Haiti gets, the better for everybody. We'll be working hand-in-hand with the Government on these issues.
"We live in a very open economy and import the bulk of the goods we use here. Typically, we import goods from south Florida. The south Floridians bring them in from elsewhere, and it's important for us to create diverse linkages where possible to reduce the overall cost of food."
ARTICLE - NATURAL DISASTERS - FOOD SUPPLY
FREQUENT NATURAL DISASTERS DEVASTATE FARMERS, LIMIT FOOD SUPPLY IN HAITI
(Global Press Institute) - By Rosenie Mont-Gerard
Natural disasters are frequent in Haiti, and many peasant farmers say they must start over after each one. They complain that foreign aid is not reaching them and government initiatives are misguided. Some are migrating to cities, reducing food production nationwide.
Part II in a Series: Natural Disasters and Employment in Haiti
JÉRÉMIE – Juste Jean Fenel, 33, is a farmer from Despay, a small community in the mountains surrounding Jérémie, a town in southwestern Haiti. He says that frequent natural disasters here affect the whole community.
“After a natural disaster,” he says, “kids stop going to school, the market is closed, and the peasant associations do not meet.”
After a hurricane or flood, it is especially difficult for peasant farmers to recover, Fenel says.
Clad in a gray T-shirt and white pants, Fenel wears black rubber boots to trudge through the mud and rainwater. The boots are necessary he says, because of the storms that hit the area often.
And when they do, it takes three to six months for peasant farmers like him to recover, he says. And even after that recovery period, it is difficult to obtain the seeds, necessary tools and money to rebuild farms.
“After every natural disaster, I lose animals, and my fields are destroyed,” says Fenel, this day donning a blue shirt and beige shorts and holding a phone battery in his hand.
His black boots lie to the side, ready for the next storm or flood.
In Haiti, frequent natural disasters destroy the crops of peasant farmers, who have no reserves or savings to start over. Unable to take care of their families, some farmers are migrating to cities for increased employment opportunities, which reduces the local food supply. The government has implemented various initiatives, but they draw criticism for being out of touch with the people’s needs. Meanwhile, nongovernmental organizations are working with peasant farmers in their communities to help them re-establish their farming and prevent devastation after future natural disasters.
Haiti’s economy relies primarily on agriculture, which employs two-thirds of the workforce, according to a 2011 World Bank report. This dependency on agriculture and the frequency of natural disasters make a developing country like Haiti especially susceptible to climate change.
Peasant farmers without savings – and many of whom are illiterate – cultivate 75 percent of arable land in Haiti, according to agronomists and nongovernmental employees during a recent community analysis of Despay. They consume what they produce in order to survive. So when natural disasters hit, they are left with nothing.
In 2011, Haiti counted 16 storms and nine hurricanes, according to the Direction de la Protection Civile under the government’s Ministère de l’Intérieur. During the past five years, 3.6 million people became victims of natural disasters. The most notable ones were hurricanes Dean and Noel in 2007, Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike in 2008, and Hurricane Tomas and the earthquake in 2010. In June 2011, heavy flooding caused major damage.
Lyvia, a peasant farmer, sells the fruit she grows in Caracolie, a section of Jérémie.
“I sell avocados, grapefruit and bananas,” she says.
She says that natural disasters increase the cost of growing the fruit.
“They are expensive because when a hurricane hits, it destroys the fruit trees,” she says.
Most peasant farmers can’t afford to have reserves. They work hard, but they basically produce what they need to eat. So when a natural disaster hits, they lose everything and have to start all over. But most can’t afford to do this.
Rosane, another peasant farmer, says that she still hasn’t recovered from Hurricane Tomas, which struck Haiti in 2010.
“Whatever I had in terms of land and animals, I lost,” she says. “I have no hope at all.”
Clerelia Cadet, a small-scale farmer, shares a similar story.
“I lost my entire bean crop, and what I planted now does not even want to grow,” Cadet says.
Various organizations have given out seeds, but farmers like Cadet say they refuse them because they are genetically modified. Using genetically modified seeds would mean they would have to purchase seeds every planting season, which would cost them more money in the long run. Cadet says they prefer to wait for their organic seeds to recover.
Many peasant farmers still hope that help might come, says Lena Pascal, a peasant farmer from the small town of Dame Marie. But she’s not optimistic.
“Here they forget us, with all the aid Haiti supposedly is getting,” Pascal says. “We never see any of it.”
As a result, the peasant farmers say they suffer from hunger, can’t pay their bills, can’t obtain medical care and can’t afford to send their children to school.
“I remember the hurricane that happened after the earthquake,” says farmer Nissage Philistin, who has just come in from his field around 4 p.m. “That put me into a lot of difficulty. I could not pay the school fees for my kids, nor was I able to pay for any medical expenses for my family.”
He says it changed his life forever.
“Hurricane Tomas has marked me for the rest of my life,” he says.
Unable to support themselves through farming, some families have decided to migrate to cities.
Junior Rigaud works in Jérémie for Terre des Homes, an organization that aims to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged children. He says there are several reasons why people come down from the mountains to live in the cities, but economics tops the list.
“First of all, it is for economic reasons,” he says. “The farmer who works the land realizes that what he does is not enough to cover his basic needs. So he leaves the countryside to move to the city.”
As these former farmers pursue other job opportunities in the cities, food production suffers, which has negative consequences for the population at large.
“Every farmer presents a lifeline for a number of families,” farmer Cherry Guillio says. “They give life. They play a role in people staying healthy. When they do not work, there is no food. And when they leave, the people suffer from hunger.”
There are a few government initiatives directed at the agricultural sector. But Lorreus Jean Loussier, an agricultural technician who works closely with farmers, says the existing initiatives are misguided.
“The state makes an effort by putting an office for agricultural affairs in every county,” he says. “But they really don’t impact the countryside because they are located in the county seat, which is a town. So it does not touch the sector it should impact, and the needs of the farmers are still there. The state needs to think about this some more.”
Ismack Salomon, a community leader in the town of Dame Marie, agrees that the government must do more to help the farmers.
“The state needs to help the peasantry so they can make a living in the country and do not have to migrate to the cities,” Salomon says.
To reduce the repeated and devastating effect of natural disasters in sectors such as agriculture, Haiti must integrate adaptation measures into development planning, according to the World Bank report. The report recommends measures such as offering local farmers guidance and tools to engage in sustainable practices, launching a reforestation initiative and promoting livelihood diversification.
Some nongovernmental organizations are doing just this.
Lutheran World Federation provides farmers in Despay with seeds and animals, such as goats and chickens, says Paul Macena, who works for Lutheran World Federation. It also built a road in the region and has offered trainings on how to improve planting techniques, animal husbandry practices and disaster mitigation strategies.
The farmers in the area are beginning to put this training into practice, Macena says. Slowly, the community is beginning to see a change.
Fenel says that he is a beneficiary of the foundation as a member of the Fondation de la Nouvelle Grand’Anse, which receives financial and technical assistance from Lutheran World Foundation. The foundation gives farmers such as Fenel technical assistance with their crops as well as pigs to raise.
Editor’s note: Some sources have declined to give their last names because of Haiti’s history of political violence
(Global Press Institute) - By Rosenie Mont-Gerard
Natural disasters are frequent in Haiti, and many peasant farmers say they must start over after each one. They complain that foreign aid is not reaching them and government initiatives are misguided. Some are migrating to cities, reducing food production nationwide.
Part II in a Series: Natural Disasters and Employment in Haiti
JÉRÉMIE – Juste Jean Fenel, 33, is a farmer from Despay, a small community in the mountains surrounding Jérémie, a town in southwestern Haiti. He says that frequent natural disasters here affect the whole community.
“After a natural disaster,” he says, “kids stop going to school, the market is closed, and the peasant associations do not meet.”
After a hurricane or flood, it is especially difficult for peasant farmers to recover, Fenel says.
Clad in a gray T-shirt and white pants, Fenel wears black rubber boots to trudge through the mud and rainwater. The boots are necessary he says, because of the storms that hit the area often.
And when they do, it takes three to six months for peasant farmers like him to recover, he says. And even after that recovery period, it is difficult to obtain the seeds, necessary tools and money to rebuild farms.
“After every natural disaster, I lose animals, and my fields are destroyed,” says Fenel, this day donning a blue shirt and beige shorts and holding a phone battery in his hand.
His black boots lie to the side, ready for the next storm or flood.
In Haiti, frequent natural disasters destroy the crops of peasant farmers, who have no reserves or savings to start over. Unable to take care of their families, some farmers are migrating to cities for increased employment opportunities, which reduces the local food supply. The government has implemented various initiatives, but they draw criticism for being out of touch with the people’s needs. Meanwhile, nongovernmental organizations are working with peasant farmers in their communities to help them re-establish their farming and prevent devastation after future natural disasters.
Haiti’s economy relies primarily on agriculture, which employs two-thirds of the workforce, according to a 2011 World Bank report. This dependency on agriculture and the frequency of natural disasters make a developing country like Haiti especially susceptible to climate change.
Peasant farmers without savings – and many of whom are illiterate – cultivate 75 percent of arable land in Haiti, according to agronomists and nongovernmental employees during a recent community analysis of Despay. They consume what they produce in order to survive. So when natural disasters hit, they are left with nothing.
In 2011, Haiti counted 16 storms and nine hurricanes, according to the Direction de la Protection Civile under the government’s Ministère de l’Intérieur. During the past five years, 3.6 million people became victims of natural disasters. The most notable ones were hurricanes Dean and Noel in 2007, Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike in 2008, and Hurricane Tomas and the earthquake in 2010. In June 2011, heavy flooding caused major damage.
Lyvia, a peasant farmer, sells the fruit she grows in Caracolie, a section of Jérémie.
“I sell avocados, grapefruit and bananas,” she says.
She says that natural disasters increase the cost of growing the fruit.
“They are expensive because when a hurricane hits, it destroys the fruit trees,” she says.
Most peasant farmers can’t afford to have reserves. They work hard, but they basically produce what they need to eat. So when a natural disaster hits, they lose everything and have to start all over. But most can’t afford to do this.
Rosane, another peasant farmer, says that she still hasn’t recovered from Hurricane Tomas, which struck Haiti in 2010.
“Whatever I had in terms of land and animals, I lost,” she says. “I have no hope at all.”
Clerelia Cadet, a small-scale farmer, shares a similar story.
“I lost my entire bean crop, and what I planted now does not even want to grow,” Cadet says.
Various organizations have given out seeds, but farmers like Cadet say they refuse them because they are genetically modified. Using genetically modified seeds would mean they would have to purchase seeds every planting season, which would cost them more money in the long run. Cadet says they prefer to wait for their organic seeds to recover.
Many peasant farmers still hope that help might come, says Lena Pascal, a peasant farmer from the small town of Dame Marie. But she’s not optimistic.
“Here they forget us, with all the aid Haiti supposedly is getting,” Pascal says. “We never see any of it.”
As a result, the peasant farmers say they suffer from hunger, can’t pay their bills, can’t obtain medical care and can’t afford to send their children to school.
“I remember the hurricane that happened after the earthquake,” says farmer Nissage Philistin, who has just come in from his field around 4 p.m. “That put me into a lot of difficulty. I could not pay the school fees for my kids, nor was I able to pay for any medical expenses for my family.”
He says it changed his life forever.
“Hurricane Tomas has marked me for the rest of my life,” he says.
Unable to support themselves through farming, some families have decided to migrate to cities.
Junior Rigaud works in Jérémie for Terre des Homes, an organization that aims to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged children. He says there are several reasons why people come down from the mountains to live in the cities, but economics tops the list.
“First of all, it is for economic reasons,” he says. “The farmer who works the land realizes that what he does is not enough to cover his basic needs. So he leaves the countryside to move to the city.”
As these former farmers pursue other job opportunities in the cities, food production suffers, which has negative consequences for the population at large.
“Every farmer presents a lifeline for a number of families,” farmer Cherry Guillio says. “They give life. They play a role in people staying healthy. When they do not work, there is no food. And when they leave, the people suffer from hunger.”
There are a few government initiatives directed at the agricultural sector. But Lorreus Jean Loussier, an agricultural technician who works closely with farmers, says the existing initiatives are misguided.
“The state makes an effort by putting an office for agricultural affairs in every county,” he says. “But they really don’t impact the countryside because they are located in the county seat, which is a town. So it does not touch the sector it should impact, and the needs of the farmers are still there. The state needs to think about this some more.”
Ismack Salomon, a community leader in the town of Dame Marie, agrees that the government must do more to help the farmers.
“The state needs to help the peasantry so they can make a living in the country and do not have to migrate to the cities,” Salomon says.
To reduce the repeated and devastating effect of natural disasters in sectors such as agriculture, Haiti must integrate adaptation measures into development planning, according to the World Bank report. The report recommends measures such as offering local farmers guidance and tools to engage in sustainable practices, launching a reforestation initiative and promoting livelihood diversification.
Some nongovernmental organizations are doing just this.
Lutheran World Federation provides farmers in Despay with seeds and animals, such as goats and chickens, says Paul Macena, who works for Lutheran World Federation. It also built a road in the region and has offered trainings on how to improve planting techniques, animal husbandry practices and disaster mitigation strategies.
The farmers in the area are beginning to put this training into practice, Macena says. Slowly, the community is beginning to see a change.
Fenel says that he is a beneficiary of the foundation as a member of the Fondation de la Nouvelle Grand’Anse, which receives financial and technical assistance from Lutheran World Foundation. The foundation gives farmers such as Fenel technical assistance with their crops as well as pigs to raise.
Editor’s note: Some sources have declined to give their last names because of Haiti’s history of political violence
Saturday, June 2, 2012
ARTICLE - 22 MILLION - AGRICULTURE REFORM
22 MILLION TO SUPPORT AGRICULTURE POLICY REFORM IN HAITI
(Haiti Libre) -
A $15 million grant from the Inter-American Development Bank will assist Haiti in its efforts to modernize its agricultural policies and institutions to increase farm productivity and competitiveness. The IDB resources will be complemented with a $7 million grant from the Haiti Reconstruction Fund.
The program, the first of a series of three policy-based grants, will provide budget support as the Haitian government carries out reforms to address several of the major constraints hampering agriculture. The program was designed in coordination with other donors supporting Haiti’s efforts to improve agriculture, including the World Bank, IFAD, IICA, USAID, USDA, the European Union, France, Canada and Brazil.
Farming provides the principal means of subsistence for over 1 million Haitian families and generates about half of the country’s jobs. Agricultural productivity, which is lower than in other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, has declined over the past two decades, with significant output drops in key crops such as bananas, coffee and rice.
Among the reforms Haiti will undertake is strengthening the Ministry of Agriculture (MARNDR) to carry out its planning, programming and budgeting functions, improve its capacity to manage, monitor and evaluate programs and increase the effectiveness of its services. Under this program the ministry will create a team of public procurement specialists to boost its capacity to absorb and administer financial resources provided by the government’s treasury and donors.
This reform will enable the MARNDR to better execute programs under its management. At present, IDB grants are financing agriculture projects totaling more than $200 million in Haiti, including crop intensification, irrigation, rural value chains, farming technology transfers, land tenure clarification and watershed management.
Another reform involves updating land administration policies and legal and institutional frameworks. About 60 percent of privately owned parcels lack property titles, a situation that limits long-term rural investment and farmers’ access to credit. Land titling in Haiti is costly and cumbersome and governed by antiquated laws and procedures. Under this program the government will promote legislation to enable surveyors and notaries to use modern technologies that could increase the efficiency of their services.
Haiti will also promote new legislation to assign legal status to water user associations, enabling farmers to manage and maintain irrigation systems. Policies will be updated to ensure coordination between irrigation and watershed management. An inter-agency commission will monitor the management of the Péligre dam, seeking to balance the demands of hydro power generation with the need to provide water to irrigate the Artibonite valley, the country’s principal rice-growing region. To expand access to improved farming technologies the reforms will promote the creation of a renewed agricultural research system capable of providing guidance to local rural producers.
In addition, Haiti needs to build up its agricultural health system to international standards in order to protect crops and livestock from domestic and exotic pests and diseases. The reforms will start by establishing an operational plan with specific targets and rationalizing the use of financial resources for such services.
(Haiti Libre) -
A $15 million grant from the Inter-American Development Bank will assist Haiti in its efforts to modernize its agricultural policies and institutions to increase farm productivity and competitiveness. The IDB resources will be complemented with a $7 million grant from the Haiti Reconstruction Fund.
The program, the first of a series of three policy-based grants, will provide budget support as the Haitian government carries out reforms to address several of the major constraints hampering agriculture. The program was designed in coordination with other donors supporting Haiti’s efforts to improve agriculture, including the World Bank, IFAD, IICA, USAID, USDA, the European Union, France, Canada and Brazil.
Farming provides the principal means of subsistence for over 1 million Haitian families and generates about half of the country’s jobs. Agricultural productivity, which is lower than in other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, has declined over the past two decades, with significant output drops in key crops such as bananas, coffee and rice.
Among the reforms Haiti will undertake is strengthening the Ministry of Agriculture (MARNDR) to carry out its planning, programming and budgeting functions, improve its capacity to manage, monitor and evaluate programs and increase the effectiveness of its services. Under this program the ministry will create a team of public procurement specialists to boost its capacity to absorb and administer financial resources provided by the government’s treasury and donors.
This reform will enable the MARNDR to better execute programs under its management. At present, IDB grants are financing agriculture projects totaling more than $200 million in Haiti, including crop intensification, irrigation, rural value chains, farming technology transfers, land tenure clarification and watershed management.
Another reform involves updating land administration policies and legal and institutional frameworks. About 60 percent of privately owned parcels lack property titles, a situation that limits long-term rural investment and farmers’ access to credit. Land titling in Haiti is costly and cumbersome and governed by antiquated laws and procedures. Under this program the government will promote legislation to enable surveyors and notaries to use modern technologies that could increase the efficiency of their services.
Haiti will also promote new legislation to assign legal status to water user associations, enabling farmers to manage and maintain irrigation systems. Policies will be updated to ensure coordination between irrigation and watershed management. An inter-agency commission will monitor the management of the Péligre dam, seeking to balance the demands of hydro power generation with the need to provide water to irrigate the Artibonite valley, the country’s principal rice-growing region. To expand access to improved farming technologies the reforms will promote the creation of a renewed agricultural research system capable of providing guidance to local rural producers.
In addition, Haiti needs to build up its agricultural health system to international standards in order to protect crops and livestock from domestic and exotic pests and diseases. The reforms will start by establishing an operational plan with specific targets and rationalizing the use of financial resources for such services.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
ARTICLE - ENCOURAGING AGRICULTURE
MEASURES TO ENCOURAGE THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
(Haiti Libre) -
Hébert Docteur, the Minister of Agriculture lamented last week, that 25 years of agricultural policies of previous governments, have only encouraged the weakening of the agricultural sector. Citing as an example the importation of rice, which rose from $40 million in the 80s to nearly $200 million today [400,000 tons], due to a decision favoring the importation of rice, by a decrease of taxes of over 40%... Note that Haiti has become, after Japan and Mexico, the third largest rice importer in the world...!
"Imported rice, is an unfair competition compared to local rice product in a non-mechanized system. It is the role of the state to take appropriate decisions," indicated Stéphania Musset, Communications Officer for Oxfam America. Oxfam [since June 2011] and the National Federation of Rice Producers of Haiti (Fenaprih), have decided to support rice production to increase domestic production. To this end, "Oxfam will deliver by the end of April, 5 sorting machines and 3 tillers to each of the 7 unions of Racpaba [an association of rice producers in the Artibonite]," indicated the agronomist Love-Djemane Raymond, Assistant coordinator of the rice program.
The Minister of Agriculture is committed to taking all measures to encourage the Haitian producers. Among these provisions that we can mention: the establishment of a land bank to lower rates, a crop insurance with the help of Canada, the fight against smuggling of agricultural products with the Dominican Republic, and the liberalization of trade in fertilizers. On this last point, the Minister of Agriculture explained that subsidizing and controling the fertilizer, has become a responsibility too heavy for the Government, and that it intends in its new approach, entrusting this importation to the private sector, who will reduce the diversion of a portion of subsidized fertilizer, towards the Dominican Republic... Therefore, the ministry will not sell fertilizer, but rather will help farmers to find the fertilizer at better prices.
(Haiti Libre) -
Hébert Docteur, the Minister of Agriculture lamented last week, that 25 years of agricultural policies of previous governments, have only encouraged the weakening of the agricultural sector. Citing as an example the importation of rice, which rose from $40 million in the 80s to nearly $200 million today [400,000 tons], due to a decision favoring the importation of rice, by a decrease of taxes of over 40%... Note that Haiti has become, after Japan and Mexico, the third largest rice importer in the world...!
"Imported rice, is an unfair competition compared to local rice product in a non-mechanized system. It is the role of the state to take appropriate decisions," indicated Stéphania Musset, Communications Officer for Oxfam America. Oxfam [since June 2011] and the National Federation of Rice Producers of Haiti (Fenaprih), have decided to support rice production to increase domestic production. To this end, "Oxfam will deliver by the end of April, 5 sorting machines and 3 tillers to each of the 7 unions of Racpaba [an association of rice producers in the Artibonite]," indicated the agronomist Love-Djemane Raymond, Assistant coordinator of the rice program.
The Minister of Agriculture is committed to taking all measures to encourage the Haitian producers. Among these provisions that we can mention: the establishment of a land bank to lower rates, a crop insurance with the help of Canada, the fight against smuggling of agricultural products with the Dominican Republic, and the liberalization of trade in fertilizers. On this last point, the Minister of Agriculture explained that subsidizing and controling the fertilizer, has become a responsibility too heavy for the Government, and that it intends in its new approach, entrusting this importation to the private sector, who will reduce the diversion of a portion of subsidized fertilizer, towards the Dominican Republic... Therefore, the ministry will not sell fertilizer, but rather will help farmers to find the fertilizer at better prices.
ARTICLE - 94 GRADUATES - AGRICULTURE
94 YOUNG GRADUATES IN AGRICULTURAL TECHNIQUES
(Haiti Libre) -
Last Saturday, 94 young people aged 18 to 25 (30% women) from 10 municipalities of the north, have graduated in Cap-Haitien, after an intensive six-month training in agricultural techniques. The training was carried out under the project, "Training and Socialization" which was funded to the tune of $200,000 U.S. dollars by the Section of Community Violence Reduction (CVR) of the MINUSTAH. Out of 100 candidates initially, 94 youth have successfully completed their six month training at the premises of the Vincent Foundation, the implementing partner of the project, which has extensive experience in the agricultural sector. Intensive courses were supported by psychosocial activities.
"The long awaited moment has arrived for you. After six months of hard training, you will be in contact with the real world, directly in the fields with the peasants. Remember that you have been trained to serve in the area of crop production or in the sub-sector of livestock production. Despite the problems, do not be troubled, because you have what it takes to face adversity," advised the agronomist Jean Mary Michaud, sponsor of the first graduating class; promising also to support his 'referees' throughout their careers, by advice, and other support they need.
For his part, Emilio Castaneda, the Head of the Regional Office of the Minustah, concluded the graduation ceremony by launching two calls; to the local authorities, first: "Ladies and gentlemen, members of local authorities, the training given to young people is insufficient to make of them useful men and women. They expect your support, your guidance and unconditional support,"; and to the 94 new agricultural agents: "Dear young people, do not forget that you are catalysts for development, and that the training that you received should be helpful to make of you men and women, useful to society."
Kits were distributed to each new agricultural agent comprising: a wheelbarrow, spade, rake, shovel, hoe, gloves, boots, seeds for growing vegetables, a book of agricultural technology, a watering can, a portable chicken coop, 25 chicks, and food for chicks.
(Haiti Libre) -
Last Saturday, 94 young people aged 18 to 25 (30% women) from 10 municipalities of the north, have graduated in Cap-Haitien, after an intensive six-month training in agricultural techniques. The training was carried out under the project, "Training and Socialization" which was funded to the tune of $200,000 U.S. dollars by the Section of Community Violence Reduction (CVR) of the MINUSTAH. Out of 100 candidates initially, 94 youth have successfully completed their six month training at the premises of the Vincent Foundation, the implementing partner of the project, which has extensive experience in the agricultural sector. Intensive courses were supported by psychosocial activities.
"The long awaited moment has arrived for you. After six months of hard training, you will be in contact with the real world, directly in the fields with the peasants. Remember that you have been trained to serve in the area of crop production or in the sub-sector of livestock production. Despite the problems, do not be troubled, because you have what it takes to face adversity," advised the agronomist Jean Mary Michaud, sponsor of the first graduating class; promising also to support his 'referees' throughout their careers, by advice, and other support they need.
For his part, Emilio Castaneda, the Head of the Regional Office of the Minustah, concluded the graduation ceremony by launching two calls; to the local authorities, first: "Ladies and gentlemen, members of local authorities, the training given to young people is insufficient to make of them useful men and women. They expect your support, your guidance and unconditional support,"; and to the 94 new agricultural agents: "Dear young people, do not forget that you are catalysts for development, and that the training that you received should be helpful to make of you men and women, useful to society."
Kits were distributed to each new agricultural agent comprising: a wheelbarrow, spade, rake, shovel, hoe, gloves, boots, seeds for growing vegetables, a book of agricultural technology, a watering can, a portable chicken coop, 25 chicks, and food for chicks.
ARTICLE - MORINGA FOREST IN CITE SOLEIL
MORINGA "TREE OF LIFE FOREST" PLANTED IN CITE SOLEIL, HAITI AT THE JADEN TAP TAP URBAN GARDEN
(PRWeb) -
Bochika, SAKALA Ayiti and BioPlanet USA, together planted over 500 Moringa trees in Haiti’s Largest Urban Community Garden, the “Jaden Tap Tap” (Tap Tap Garden); More than 250 community members in Cite Soleil educated on the benefits of this “Miracle Tree.”
Bochika, SAKALA Ayiti (Pax Christi PAP) and BioPlanet USA are proud to announce the successful completion of an important urban reforestation effort at the Jaden Tap Tap, in Cite Soleil, just north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. More than 500 trees were planted and more than 10,000 Moringa seeds were donated for future forests.
BioPlanet USA awarded Bochika and SAKALA Ayiti a grant to cover the related costs of this urban reforestation program that will benefit more 250 young adults, children, and their families that come to the SAKALA community center and Jaden Tap Tap daily to participate in sports, gardening, and educational activities.
During the weekend of April 14, the Presidents of BioPlanet USA and Bochika, visited the Haitian capital to plant the Moringa forest that will add an important dose of nutrients to the community’s diet, as well as improve the overall environment. Jaden Tap Tap staff and members of the community received an extensive and detailed presentation and training on Moringa cultivation, harvesting, benefits and methods of consumption. 120 children participated in BioPlanet’s workshop “The Forest Begins at School,” planting more than 200 additional seeds in discarded plastic containers collected on the streets of the nation’s capital. The forest is part of a BioPlanet USA initiative, “Tree of Life Forest in Haiti,” and received special donations from a Mexican company, Imperllantas and the University School (part of Nova Southeastern University) in Florida.
“For a long time, the dream of Sakala Ayiti and the Jaden Tap Tap was to gather and share information on the use of Doliv [Moringa], the so-called Tree of Life,” said Daniel Tillias, Executive Director of Sakala Ayiti. “We are grateful that Bioplanet, with all of their experience with the tree, accepted to partner with us to educate our community.”
The Moringa forest at the Jaden Tap Tap, Haiti’s largest urban garden, will be ready to harvest in 3 months and provide an additional source of nutritional benefits, and hopefully income, for the Sakala Ayiti community center and youth empowerment program. The Jaden Tap Tap, located in the 3BB neighborhood of Cite Soleil, is also a site to purchase Moringa seeds, seedlings, and to receive additional information on the benefits of this “Miracle Tree.”
“Bochika is very happy that BioPlanet USA recognizes the same great potential of the Jaden Tap Tap and our partner organization, SAKALA Ayiti, as we do,” said Ann Marie Warmenhoven, Bochika’s Haiti Director. “We hope to partner with more organizations to support this amazing and successful initiative in Cite Soleil.”
To learn more about the Tap Tap Garden or Get Involved, visit http://www.bochika.org , http://www.facebook.com/rasinlavil , or contact Daniel Tillias in Haiti (+509 36 49 1493) or Ann Marie Warmenhoven in the United States (574-904-1303).
About Bochika: Bochika is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization headquartered in Miami FL. Bochika’s mission is to empower marginalized and impoverished communities through participatory sustainable economic, agricultural, and social development programs. To fulfill this mission, Bochika builds partnerships with community-based organizations and provides training, tools, and technology that promote organizational development, increase social impact, and enhance global visibility. In its first year of existence, Bochika was awarded major grants to fund programs in Haiti and Miami, selected to lead a 300-person Capacity Building seminar in Colombia, and acknowledged for its innovation and commitment to change by former President Bill Clinton. To learn more, visit http://www.bochika.org .
(PRWeb) -
Bochika, SAKALA Ayiti and BioPlanet USA, together planted over 500 Moringa trees in Haiti’s Largest Urban Community Garden, the “Jaden Tap Tap” (Tap Tap Garden); More than 250 community members in Cite Soleil educated on the benefits of this “Miracle Tree.”
Bochika, SAKALA Ayiti (Pax Christi PAP) and BioPlanet USA are proud to announce the successful completion of an important urban reforestation effort at the Jaden Tap Tap, in Cite Soleil, just north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. More than 500 trees were planted and more than 10,000 Moringa seeds were donated for future forests.
BioPlanet USA awarded Bochika and SAKALA Ayiti a grant to cover the related costs of this urban reforestation program that will benefit more 250 young adults, children, and their families that come to the SAKALA community center and Jaden Tap Tap daily to participate in sports, gardening, and educational activities.
During the weekend of April 14, the Presidents of BioPlanet USA and Bochika, visited the Haitian capital to plant the Moringa forest that will add an important dose of nutrients to the community’s diet, as well as improve the overall environment. Jaden Tap Tap staff and members of the community received an extensive and detailed presentation and training on Moringa cultivation, harvesting, benefits and methods of consumption. 120 children participated in BioPlanet’s workshop “The Forest Begins at School,” planting more than 200 additional seeds in discarded plastic containers collected on the streets of the nation’s capital. The forest is part of a BioPlanet USA initiative, “Tree of Life Forest in Haiti,” and received special donations from a Mexican company, Imperllantas and the University School (part of Nova Southeastern University) in Florida.
“For a long time, the dream of Sakala Ayiti and the Jaden Tap Tap was to gather and share information on the use of Doliv [Moringa], the so-called Tree of Life,” said Daniel Tillias, Executive Director of Sakala Ayiti. “We are grateful that Bioplanet, with all of their experience with the tree, accepted to partner with us to educate our community.”
The Moringa forest at the Jaden Tap Tap, Haiti’s largest urban garden, will be ready to harvest in 3 months and provide an additional source of nutritional benefits, and hopefully income, for the Sakala Ayiti community center and youth empowerment program. The Jaden Tap Tap, located in the 3BB neighborhood of Cite Soleil, is also a site to purchase Moringa seeds, seedlings, and to receive additional information on the benefits of this “Miracle Tree.”
“Bochika is very happy that BioPlanet USA recognizes the same great potential of the Jaden Tap Tap and our partner organization, SAKALA Ayiti, as we do,” said Ann Marie Warmenhoven, Bochika’s Haiti Director. “We hope to partner with more organizations to support this amazing and successful initiative in Cite Soleil.”
To learn more about the Tap Tap Garden or Get Involved, visit http://www.bochika.org , http://www.facebook.com/rasinlavil , or contact Daniel Tillias in Haiti (+509 36 49 1493) or Ann Marie Warmenhoven in the United States (574-904-1303).
About Bochika: Bochika is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization headquartered in Miami FL. Bochika’s mission is to empower marginalized and impoverished communities through participatory sustainable economic, agricultural, and social development programs. To fulfill this mission, Bochika builds partnerships with community-based organizations and provides training, tools, and technology that promote organizational development, increase social impact, and enhance global visibility. In its first year of existence, Bochika was awarded major grants to fund programs in Haiti and Miami, selected to lead a 300-person Capacity Building seminar in Colombia, and acknowledged for its innovation and commitment to change by former President Bill Clinton. To learn more, visit http://www.bochika.org .
ARTICLE - SALVATION AND UNION OF HAITIANS
THE SALVATION OF HAITI DEPENDS ON THE UNION OF ALL HAITIANS
(Haiti Libre) -
The Regional Office of Social Affairs of the Southeast in Petit Goâve, has marked the Agriculture and Labor Day, this May 1, 2012, by organizing with different sectors of the city, a day of reflection, on issues related to agriculture and unemployment. Different personalities spoke during the day.
"Our vegetation cover is decreasing every day. Reforestation of the country appears to be an imperative, and citizens must therefore, each plant a tree to improve the vegetation cover and fight against possible floods", declared in his address, Mr. Abdallah Moncy, the Director General of the Town Hall.
For his part, Mr. Arentz Mars, the representative of justice, argued that on an economic point of view, the country was declining; that it has gone from being an exporter to an importer. "[...] on an economic point of view, our country is decreasing, we import food; whereas before we were exporting coffee, cotton and other foodstuffs. Today, we export almost nothing. We need to revive domestic production, so that we can have our economic independence. Without economic independence, the country will go nowhere. A collective awareness is needed in Haiti, imitate our grandparents who gave us trees. Each of us must plant a tree, as it was the case in the past, on the occasion of May 1 [...] The salvation of Haiti depends on the union of all Haitians."
Mr. Rathon Rosman, the Director of Social Services of the regional office in Petit Goâve, has appealed for national and international investment for the country's progress, and to the harmony between employers and workers, for the smooth running of companies. Emphasizing the lack of equipmen,t and lack of means of transport (vehicles and motorcycles), to which is faced the office of Social Affairs, who must serve Léogâne, and Grand Goâve, he asked the authorities concerned to provide the means for operation.
As the Director of the Municipal Agricultural Bureau in Petit-Goave, Sterlin Frenel, asked for the civic responsibility and patriotism of the population. "Each citizen must accomplish their task in a right way, regardless of the industry. Let's get to work. Haiti is not poor. There are Haitians who are poor... If we wish it, we will be able to make an advancement for our country."
The Day of reflection ended with a distribution of agricultural tools to the representatives of farmer organizations and socio-professionals of the town.
(Haiti Libre) -
The Regional Office of Social Affairs of the Southeast in Petit Goâve, has marked the Agriculture and Labor Day, this May 1, 2012, by organizing with different sectors of the city, a day of reflection, on issues related to agriculture and unemployment. Different personalities spoke during the day.
"Our vegetation cover is decreasing every day. Reforestation of the country appears to be an imperative, and citizens must therefore, each plant a tree to improve the vegetation cover and fight against possible floods", declared in his address, Mr. Abdallah Moncy, the Director General of the Town Hall.
For his part, Mr. Arentz Mars, the representative of justice, argued that on an economic point of view, the country was declining; that it has gone from being an exporter to an importer. "[...] on an economic point of view, our country is decreasing, we import food; whereas before we were exporting coffee, cotton and other foodstuffs. Today, we export almost nothing. We need to revive domestic production, so that we can have our economic independence. Without economic independence, the country will go nowhere. A collective awareness is needed in Haiti, imitate our grandparents who gave us trees. Each of us must plant a tree, as it was the case in the past, on the occasion of May 1 [...] The salvation of Haiti depends on the union of all Haitians."
Mr. Rathon Rosman, the Director of Social Services of the regional office in Petit Goâve, has appealed for national and international investment for the country's progress, and to the harmony between employers and workers, for the smooth running of companies. Emphasizing the lack of equipmen,t and lack of means of transport (vehicles and motorcycles), to which is faced the office of Social Affairs, who must serve Léogâne, and Grand Goâve, he asked the authorities concerned to provide the means for operation.
As the Director of the Municipal Agricultural Bureau in Petit-Goave, Sterlin Frenel, asked for the civic responsibility and patriotism of the population. "Each citizen must accomplish their task in a right way, regardless of the industry. Let's get to work. Haiti is not poor. There are Haitians who are poor... If we wish it, we will be able to make an advancement for our country."
The Day of reflection ended with a distribution of agricultural tools to the representatives of farmer organizations and socio-professionals of the town.
ARTICLE - "URGENCY CAN NOT BE AN OPTION
"THE URGENCY CAN NOT BE AN OPTION"
(Haiti Libre) -
On 1 May, a holiday for Agriculture and Labor, President Martelly in his speech in Damien, took the opportunity to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Hébert Docteur, to accelerate the process of the rehabilitation of agricultural farms, necessary for the revival of agricultural research, and of the challenge that represents the degradation of our environment. "
...I take this opportunity to ask the Minister of Agriculture to accelerate the process of the rehabilitation of farms recently engaged, and necessary for the recovery of agricultural research [...] the establishment of a national program to popularize the technology, the strengthening of agricultural mechanization, the modernization of irrigation techniques by extending a drip system, the mastery of greenhouses, and more [...]
We can not talk about agriculture without talking about our deteriorating environment. The recent rains continue to carry all our arable land [35 + million tonnes / year]; the watershed management requires time. The only possible strategy for now is to clean out the rivers and ravines in the risk areas, to consolidate the banks to facilitate drainage, prevent and destroy anarchic buildings [...] Instructions have been passed in this sense, to the authorities concerned [...] to respond in urgence, but the urgency can not be an option [...]"
(Haiti Libre) -
On 1 May, a holiday for Agriculture and Labor, President Martelly in his speech in Damien, took the opportunity to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Hébert Docteur, to accelerate the process of the rehabilitation of agricultural farms, necessary for the revival of agricultural research, and of the challenge that represents the degradation of our environment. "
...I take this opportunity to ask the Minister of Agriculture to accelerate the process of the rehabilitation of farms recently engaged, and necessary for the recovery of agricultural research [...] the establishment of a national program to popularize the technology, the strengthening of agricultural mechanization, the modernization of irrigation techniques by extending a drip system, the mastery of greenhouses, and more [...]
We can not talk about agriculture without talking about our deteriorating environment. The recent rains continue to carry all our arable land [35 + million tonnes / year]; the watershed management requires time. The only possible strategy for now is to clean out the rivers and ravines in the risk areas, to consolidate the banks to facilitate drainage, prevent and destroy anarchic buildings [...] Instructions have been passed in this sense, to the authorities concerned [...] to respond in urgence, but the urgency can not be an option [...]"
Sunday, April 29, 2012
ARTICLE - FAO DISTRIBUTES SEEDS
FAO DISTRIBUTES SEEDS.... OF THE DISCORD...
(Haiti Libre) -
Many growers in Petit-Goâve, harshly criticized the local office of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for a bad seed sharing.
According to them, the local FAO distributes to farmers, as part of the implementation of a project to support farmers, agricultural inputs (yams, cassava, bananas, peas) with the help of local organizations, while taking away, the municipal agricultural office of the city! However, the FAO office and the municipal agricultural office, share the same building, and it is with the approval of the municipal agricultural office, that the Directorate General of FAO has installed one of its offices in Petit Goâve...
Although some farmers congratulate and thank FAO for its support, many others are raising their voices against the way FAO distributes seeds at the commune level. According to them, much of the agricultural inputs are sometimes consumed by certain beneficiaries or sold by others... They blame the FAO to have distributed seeds in the wrong location, claiming that it is "waste" and that the localities known for the cultivation of yams, bananas and cassava are excluded from the distribution. They ask the local office of the FAO, to correct these anomalies and to hear the voice of the peasant majority.
Asked about this, Sterlin Frenel, the Director of the municipal agricultural office of Petit-Goâve, recognizes that the FAO makes important actions, but that it commits some errors in the field, because it does not follow advice. "It has acted preferably alone, or by making association with some peasant organizations that defend their interests, rather than follow the advice and guidance of technicians."
Officials of the local office of FAO refused to respond to the press on this subject.
(Haiti Libre) -
Many growers in Petit-Goâve, harshly criticized the local office of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for a bad seed sharing.
According to them, the local FAO distributes to farmers, as part of the implementation of a project to support farmers, agricultural inputs (yams, cassava, bananas, peas) with the help of local organizations, while taking away, the municipal agricultural office of the city! However, the FAO office and the municipal agricultural office, share the same building, and it is with the approval of the municipal agricultural office, that the Directorate General of FAO has installed one of its offices in Petit Goâve...
Although some farmers congratulate and thank FAO for its support, many others are raising their voices against the way FAO distributes seeds at the commune level. According to them, much of the agricultural inputs are sometimes consumed by certain beneficiaries or sold by others... They blame the FAO to have distributed seeds in the wrong location, claiming that it is "waste" and that the localities known for the cultivation of yams, bananas and cassava are excluded from the distribution. They ask the local office of the FAO, to correct these anomalies and to hear the voice of the peasant majority.
Asked about this, Sterlin Frenel, the Director of the municipal agricultural office of Petit-Goâve, recognizes that the FAO makes important actions, but that it commits some errors in the field, because it does not follow advice. "It has acted preferably alone, or by making association with some peasant organizations that defend their interests, rather than follow the advice and guidance of technicians."
Officials of the local office of FAO refused to respond to the press on this subject.
ARTICLE - AGRICULTURE - GROWING INVESTMENTS
GROWING INVESTMENTS
(Haiti Libre) -
Highlights from rural development projects funded by the Inter-American Development Bank in Haiti.
Agriculture remains a key sector for Haiti, as half of its population lives in rural areas. Together with other donors, the IDB supports the Haitian government’s national agricultural plan, which seeks to address the sector’s structural problems. The IDB’s sector knowledge and experience from before the earthquake define its comparative strength and to make the sector a continued priority over the next four years.
At present, the IDB’s agricultural portfolio in Haiti consists of projects totaling $200 million, substantially focused on some of the country’s principal growing areas in the Artibonite and Northern regions. They include investments in infrastructure for irrigation and flood protection, subsidies to promote technology transfers and sustainable farming practices, the improvement of agricultural services such as animal and plant health controls, and supporting measures to regularize land tenure.
Since the earthquake the IDB’s MIF has also sought innovative ways to enhance agricultural production and incomes. It has established significant partnerships to support projects in two major rural value chains: mangoes and coffee. In the first case it partnered with The Coca Cola Company, USAID and the NGO TechnoServe to train some 25,000 farmers with the goal of doubling their incomes from mangoes. In the case of coffee, the MIF is backing a project with French development agency AFD, Nestle, Agronomists and Veterinarians without Borders and the Colombian coffee growers’ federation to restore Haiti as a premium producer and exporter.
Protecting Haiti’s Breadbasket
In the Artibonite river valley, Haiti’s principal agricultural region, the IDB has long supported a program to boost the output of staples such as rice, as well as high-value vegetables. Most investments have been aimed at protecting, rehabilitating and expanding the region’s irrigation network, the largest in the country. As a result, over the past two years the irrigated area has increased by 5,000 hectares (12,500 acres) during the dry season and by 7,000 hectares (17,500 acres) during rainy season, allowing 10,000 more farmers to plant two crops a year.
"In addition, repairs done to the riverbanks have ensured the protection of about 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres), or about one third of the Artibonite’s irrigated area," said IDB rural development specialist Marion Le Pommellec, the program’s team leader. "Work currently underway to strengthen the Canneau dam will ensure the protection of the entire system."”
Before the 2010 earthquake, the program financed the construction of an 86-meter (280-foot) bridge over the Salée floodway, which typically overflows every rainy season, cutting off some 40,000 people from the rest of the valley.
The program also supported the rehabilitation of a rice processing plant, expanding its capacity fourfold. The plant provides selected seed to help local farmers improve yields. Applied research and technical assistance provided by the program, coupled with support from a technical mission from Taiwan, China to introduce more productive agricultural techniques, have shown that output can more than triple on experimental plots, depending on the rice variety grown and the inputs available.
Small Dam, Big Impact
Decades of deforestation and soil degradation have ravaged the Ennery-Quinte watershed, but an IDB-financed agriculture intensification project is using several approaches to boost rural productivity in this river basin. One of the most promising techniques is the construction of micro dams, says Port-auPrince based rural development specialist Bruno Jacquet.
Using large boulders and cement, the project builds small dams along the course of the ravines. During the rainy season, water accumulates behind the retention wall and sediment settles in to the riverbed. In less than a year, small patches of richer soil build up, allowing farmers to plant higher value cash crops such as beans, taro or plantains. As seasons pass, fertile areas continue to grow. Farmers can now use some of their additional income to plant live hedges and trees higher up the ravine sides, protecting their land.
This technique, first tested in Haiti by French foreign aid experts, is being expanded under the IDB-backed project, which has already financed the construction of 26 micro dams along the Ennery-Quinte, out of a total of 150 planned. Given the quick returns and the positive environmental impacts of these investments (micro dams cost about $5,000 a piece) the IDB expects to replicate this experience in three other river basins where it is financing watershed management programs, Jacquet said.
Other milestones of the Ennery-Quinte project are: the improvement of 50,000 mango trees by top-grafting; the construction of 400 cisterns to harvest rainwater; a successful pilot program to test vouchers for seeds, and the planting of more than 1 million fruit and lumber trees across the watershed.
This reforestation effort must be reinforced with other measures concerning local governance, such as persuading farmers to tether their cows and goats to prevent them from eating the saplings, or to refrain from burning fields to clear land for planting. Jacquet notes this will require alternative methods, such as growing fodder to feed cattle or adopting mulch-based agriculture, which helps conserve the soil.
(Haiti Libre) -
Highlights from rural development projects funded by the Inter-American Development Bank in Haiti.
Agriculture remains a key sector for Haiti, as half of its population lives in rural areas. Together with other donors, the IDB supports the Haitian government’s national agricultural plan, which seeks to address the sector’s structural problems. The IDB’s sector knowledge and experience from before the earthquake define its comparative strength and to make the sector a continued priority over the next four years.
At present, the IDB’s agricultural portfolio in Haiti consists of projects totaling $200 million, substantially focused on some of the country’s principal growing areas in the Artibonite and Northern regions. They include investments in infrastructure for irrigation and flood protection, subsidies to promote technology transfers and sustainable farming practices, the improvement of agricultural services such as animal and plant health controls, and supporting measures to regularize land tenure.
Since the earthquake the IDB’s MIF has also sought innovative ways to enhance agricultural production and incomes. It has established significant partnerships to support projects in two major rural value chains: mangoes and coffee. In the first case it partnered with The Coca Cola Company, USAID and the NGO TechnoServe to train some 25,000 farmers with the goal of doubling their incomes from mangoes. In the case of coffee, the MIF is backing a project with French development agency AFD, Nestle, Agronomists and Veterinarians without Borders and the Colombian coffee growers’ federation to restore Haiti as a premium producer and exporter.
Protecting Haiti’s Breadbasket
In the Artibonite river valley, Haiti’s principal agricultural region, the IDB has long supported a program to boost the output of staples such as rice, as well as high-value vegetables. Most investments have been aimed at protecting, rehabilitating and expanding the region’s irrigation network, the largest in the country. As a result, over the past two years the irrigated area has increased by 5,000 hectares (12,500 acres) during the dry season and by 7,000 hectares (17,500 acres) during rainy season, allowing 10,000 more farmers to plant two crops a year.
"In addition, repairs done to the riverbanks have ensured the protection of about 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres), or about one third of the Artibonite’s irrigated area," said IDB rural development specialist Marion Le Pommellec, the program’s team leader. "Work currently underway to strengthen the Canneau dam will ensure the protection of the entire system."”
Before the 2010 earthquake, the program financed the construction of an 86-meter (280-foot) bridge over the Salée floodway, which typically overflows every rainy season, cutting off some 40,000 people from the rest of the valley.
The program also supported the rehabilitation of a rice processing plant, expanding its capacity fourfold. The plant provides selected seed to help local farmers improve yields. Applied research and technical assistance provided by the program, coupled with support from a technical mission from Taiwan, China to introduce more productive agricultural techniques, have shown that output can more than triple on experimental plots, depending on the rice variety grown and the inputs available.
Small Dam, Big Impact
Decades of deforestation and soil degradation have ravaged the Ennery-Quinte watershed, but an IDB-financed agriculture intensification project is using several approaches to boost rural productivity in this river basin. One of the most promising techniques is the construction of micro dams, says Port-auPrince based rural development specialist Bruno Jacquet.
Using large boulders and cement, the project builds small dams along the course of the ravines. During the rainy season, water accumulates behind the retention wall and sediment settles in to the riverbed. In less than a year, small patches of richer soil build up, allowing farmers to plant higher value cash crops such as beans, taro or plantains. As seasons pass, fertile areas continue to grow. Farmers can now use some of their additional income to plant live hedges and trees higher up the ravine sides, protecting their land.
This technique, first tested in Haiti by French foreign aid experts, is being expanded under the IDB-backed project, which has already financed the construction of 26 micro dams along the Ennery-Quinte, out of a total of 150 planned. Given the quick returns and the positive environmental impacts of these investments (micro dams cost about $5,000 a piece) the IDB expects to replicate this experience in three other river basins where it is financing watershed management programs, Jacquet said.
Other milestones of the Ennery-Quinte project are: the improvement of 50,000 mango trees by top-grafting; the construction of 400 cisterns to harvest rainwater; a successful pilot program to test vouchers for seeds, and the planting of more than 1 million fruit and lumber trees across the watershed.
This reforestation effort must be reinforced with other measures concerning local governance, such as persuading farmers to tether their cows and goats to prevent them from eating the saplings, or to refrain from burning fields to clear land for planting. Jacquet notes this will require alternative methods, such as growing fodder to feed cattle or adopting mulch-based agriculture, which helps conserve the soil.
ARTICLE - GOOD NEWS FOR FARMERS
GOOD NEWS FOR FARMERS AND THE POPULATION
(Haiti Libre) -
Laurent Lamothe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs signed on Wednesday, April 25 at the National Palace, a tripartite agreement of cooperation with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, Mr. Temir Porras, and the Ambassador of Argentina in Haiti, M . Marcelo Sebaste, on agriculture, identification and literacy.
This Haiti-Venezuela-Argentina tripartite agreement, concerning among others, a donation of equipment for improving the agricultural sector, equivalent to an amount of 15 million U.S. dollars, including technical assistance.
The equipment provided by Venezuela includes: a set of 100 4 x 4 tractors (80-100 HP); vertical tillage equipment; plow teeth; seeders, disc harrows; sprayers fertilizer spreaders; irrigation pumps - 3 and 4 inches, to exploit small water points submersible pumps, equipment for drip irrigation; water tanks; 10,000 wheelbarrows; 20,000 sets of farming tools; spare parts for maintenance and repair of machinery, and silos to store crops and seeds - (collective and family) will also be distributed to the Haitian authorities to encourage domestic production.
Field visits and regular exchanges will be organized between the Ministry of Agriculture, experts from the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) of Argentina and the Venezuelan counterpart, to ensure training and the adequacy of this equipment for the real needs of Haiti's agricultural development; while establishing a state agency in charge of research and agricultural extension.
The signing of this agreement, conducted in the presence of the Ambassador of Argentina to Venezuela, Carlos Cheppi, of technicians from Argentina, Secretary of State for Literacy, the Secretary of State for Literacy, Ms. Milaine Alexandre, and the Director General of the National Office of Identification (ONI), Jean-Baptiste Saint-Cyr, also addresses the capacity of the ONI through a project of identification, whose main objectives are: to create a reliable database of all citizens; modernize the existing system; rehabilitate the regional physical structures; interconnect offices between them and the central office; work for the ratification of the law framework for the integration of the civil state within ONI; equipping ONI with modern equipment of greater capacity; create eight thousand direct jobs, and facilitate the other partner institutions to access information that may be useful in the context of their specific mission.
The literacy component part of this agreement will consist of alphabetising 600,000 people, through the project "Wi mwen kapab", and 400,000 others through the "'alphaprésentiel" based on the reality of each community.
Chancellor Lamothe believes that the strengthening of South-South cooperation can contribute to the sustainable development of Haiti and, in this sense, is committed to increase its efforts to reposition the country as a partner of choice for sister states in the region.
(Haiti Libre) -
Laurent Lamothe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs signed on Wednesday, April 25 at the National Palace, a tripartite agreement of cooperation with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, Mr. Temir Porras, and the Ambassador of Argentina in Haiti, M . Marcelo Sebaste, on agriculture, identification and literacy.
This Haiti-Venezuela-Argentina tripartite agreement, concerning among others, a donation of equipment for improving the agricultural sector, equivalent to an amount of 15 million U.S. dollars, including technical assistance.
The equipment provided by Venezuela includes: a set of 100 4 x 4 tractors (80-100 HP); vertical tillage equipment; plow teeth; seeders, disc harrows; sprayers fertilizer spreaders; irrigation pumps - 3 and 4 inches, to exploit small water points submersible pumps, equipment for drip irrigation; water tanks; 10,000 wheelbarrows; 20,000 sets of farming tools; spare parts for maintenance and repair of machinery, and silos to store crops and seeds - (collective and family) will also be distributed to the Haitian authorities to encourage domestic production.
Field visits and regular exchanges will be organized between the Ministry of Agriculture, experts from the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) of Argentina and the Venezuelan counterpart, to ensure training and the adequacy of this equipment for the real needs of Haiti's agricultural development; while establishing a state agency in charge of research and agricultural extension.
The signing of this agreement, conducted in the presence of the Ambassador of Argentina to Venezuela, Carlos Cheppi, of technicians from Argentina, Secretary of State for Literacy, the Secretary of State for Literacy, Ms. Milaine Alexandre, and the Director General of the National Office of Identification (ONI), Jean-Baptiste Saint-Cyr, also addresses the capacity of the ONI through a project of identification, whose main objectives are: to create a reliable database of all citizens; modernize the existing system; rehabilitate the regional physical structures; interconnect offices between them and the central office; work for the ratification of the law framework for the integration of the civil state within ONI; equipping ONI with modern equipment of greater capacity; create eight thousand direct jobs, and facilitate the other partner institutions to access information that may be useful in the context of their specific mission.
The literacy component part of this agreement will consist of alphabetising 600,000 people, through the project "Wi mwen kapab", and 400,000 others through the "'alphaprésentiel" based on the reality of each community.
Chancellor Lamothe believes that the strengthening of South-South cooperation can contribute to the sustainable development of Haiti and, in this sense, is committed to increase its efforts to reposition the country as a partner of choice for sister states in the region.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
ARTICLE - ADRA AGRICULTURAL PROJECT
CLOSING OF THE AGRICULTURAL PROJECT OF ADRA IN PETIT-GOAVE
(Haiti Libre) -
Ms. Keteline Israël and Mr. Julien Jean Robert, heads of the regional office of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency of Petit-Goâve (ADRA) have closed Friday, April 20, 2012, during an official ceremony, an agriculture project implemented in two communal sections of Petit-Goâve, second and third sections of Trouchouchou.
Launched in July 2010, this project which lasted two years, was funded to the tune of around U.S. $900,000 jointly by "ADRA Czech" and "ADRA Canada", and was implemented by ADRA Haiti.
Several activities were carried out during this project:
Distribution of seeds to farmers
Training of 100 facilitators or agricultural extension workers
Various practical work
Knowledge transfer to farmers
Works of water catchment
Composition of insectides
Creation of two micro-agricultural farms
800 farmers have benefited directly from this agricultural project, which aimed to improve food security for victims of the earthquake of January 12, 2012. "Agricultural yields of peasants of Trouchouchou, increased significantly through the implementation of this program," declared the agronomist Sterlin Frenel, Director of the Communal Agricultural Bureau of Petit-Goâve, who congratulated the leaders of ADRA.
ADRA's regional office, intends to undertake in the coming days, other activities in Trouchouchou, such as the construction of latrines, and the opening of a Center of high fashion in favor of women farmers.
(Haiti Libre) -
Ms. Keteline Israël and Mr. Julien Jean Robert, heads of the regional office of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency of Petit-Goâve (ADRA) have closed Friday, April 20, 2012, during an official ceremony, an agriculture project implemented in two communal sections of Petit-Goâve, second and third sections of Trouchouchou.
Launched in July 2010, this project which lasted two years, was funded to the tune of around U.S. $900,000 jointly by "ADRA Czech" and "ADRA Canada", and was implemented by ADRA Haiti.
Several activities were carried out during this project:
Distribution of seeds to farmers
Training of 100 facilitators or agricultural extension workers
Various practical work
Knowledge transfer to farmers
Works of water catchment
Composition of insectides
Creation of two micro-agricultural farms
800 farmers have benefited directly from this agricultural project, which aimed to improve food security for victims of the earthquake of January 12, 2012. "Agricultural yields of peasants of Trouchouchou, increased significantly through the implementation of this program," declared the agronomist Sterlin Frenel, Director of the Communal Agricultural Bureau of Petit-Goâve, who congratulated the leaders of ADRA.
ADRA's regional office, intends to undertake in the coming days, other activities in Trouchouchou, such as the construction of latrines, and the opening of a Center of high fashion in favor of women farmers.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
ARTICLE - CARDI - REVIVE HAITI'S AGRICULTURE
CARDI TO REVIVE HAITI'S AGRICULTURAL
(Trinidad Guardian) - By Shaliza Hassanali
The Caribbean Agriculture and Research Development Institute (Cardi), through donor funding from Caricom, Australia, the Common Fund for Commodities and the European Union, has pledged to resuscitate Haiti’s struggling agriculture sector. The resuscitation comes in the form of three projects, which Cardi will use to rebuild the sector which was ravaged by the January 12, 2010, catastrophic 7.0 earthquake.
Cardi’s aim is to not only revive agriculture but to assist in the development of a sustainable sector to get the impoverished nation back on its feet. The three projects are being executed in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture, with support and active participation from Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development, said Cardi’s executive director Dr Arlington Chesney.
Chesney explained that in 2010 a mandate was given by the 33rd Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development in Suriname for Cardi to embark on a US$ 1.6 million initiative with donor funding from Caricom, Australia, the Common Fund for Commodities and European Union.
Project One involves the support for re-vegetation, a key component of the resuscitation of agriculture in Haiti. Last July, Cardi sent its first shipment of 16,000 kilogrammes of red kidney beans, corn, and black peas to Haiti. The first beneficiaries were farmers in the Leogane area near the epicentre of the 2010 earthquake. The second shipment of 25,000 kilogrammes of yellow corn arrived in February.
The second project, Chesney said, will increase Caribbean production of roots and tuber crops through the introduction of improved marketing and production technologies. Particular focus will be on training interventions in sweet potato and yam production. The third project is geared toward increased production of vegetables and herbs through use of protected agriculture. To assist Haitian farmers, Chesney said a protected agriculture training plan had been developed, with the hosting of a workshop last August 2011 and establishment of a cluster embryo. This was followed by a conference on protected agriculture last December.
“This project will seek to demonstrate the economic advantages commensurate with use of protected agriculture systems in vegetable and herb production,” Chesney explained. Ultimately, one of the objectives, he said is to create transparent business linkages with benefits for smallholders, producer groups and co-operatives involved in protected agriculture. It is expected that activities in projects two and three will be accelerated this year. Chesney said this support shows the region’s helping hand to Haiti.
(Trinidad Guardian) - By Shaliza Hassanali
The Caribbean Agriculture and Research Development Institute (Cardi), through donor funding from Caricom, Australia, the Common Fund for Commodities and the European Union, has pledged to resuscitate Haiti’s struggling agriculture sector. The resuscitation comes in the form of three projects, which Cardi will use to rebuild the sector which was ravaged by the January 12, 2010, catastrophic 7.0 earthquake.
Cardi’s aim is to not only revive agriculture but to assist in the development of a sustainable sector to get the impoverished nation back on its feet. The three projects are being executed in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture, with support and active participation from Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development, said Cardi’s executive director Dr Arlington Chesney.
Chesney explained that in 2010 a mandate was given by the 33rd Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development in Suriname for Cardi to embark on a US$ 1.6 million initiative with donor funding from Caricom, Australia, the Common Fund for Commodities and European Union.
Project One involves the support for re-vegetation, a key component of the resuscitation of agriculture in Haiti. Last July, Cardi sent its first shipment of 16,000 kilogrammes of red kidney beans, corn, and black peas to Haiti. The first beneficiaries were farmers in the Leogane area near the epicentre of the 2010 earthquake. The second shipment of 25,000 kilogrammes of yellow corn arrived in February.
The second project, Chesney said, will increase Caribbean production of roots and tuber crops through the introduction of improved marketing and production technologies. Particular focus will be on training interventions in sweet potato and yam production. The third project is geared toward increased production of vegetables and herbs through use of protected agriculture. To assist Haitian farmers, Chesney said a protected agriculture training plan had been developed, with the hosting of a workshop last August 2011 and establishment of a cluster embryo. This was followed by a conference on protected agriculture last December.
“This project will seek to demonstrate the economic advantages commensurate with use of protected agriculture systems in vegetable and herb production,” Chesney explained. Ultimately, one of the objectives, he said is to create transparent business linkages with benefits for smallholders, producer groups and co-operatives involved in protected agriculture. It is expected that activities in projects two and three will be accelerated this year. Chesney said this support shows the region’s helping hand to Haiti.
Monday, April 9, 2012
ARTICLE - GROWING MORE WITH LESS
GROWING MORE WITH LESS IN HAITI
(USAID) - By Susan DeCamp
A U.S.-Haitian agricultural growth strategy based on conservation and smart technique is already boosting incomes in the battered nation.
Making the most of limited resources is a driving concern of Haitian farmers, yet Wilhem Emile, one of USAID’s beneficiary farmers, counts himself a lucky man. As a plantain grower in the seaside town of Arcahaie, with just a half-hectare of land, he earns approximately $5,000 annually. That is 10 times the annual income of the average farmer with the same amount of land.
It is difficult to write anything about Haiti that does not start with the January 2010 earthquake, which is a defining, tragic moment in the country’s recent history. However, USAID’s current agricultural focus has been ongoing since 2009, most recently through the U.S. Government’s flagship global food-security initiative, Feed the Future. This foundation enabled the agriculture team to retool, redesign, and ramp up to provide urgently needed resources to farming families immediately following the life-altering tremblement de terre.
Projects—such as irrigation-system rehabilitation—that provided short-term jobs through cash-for-work initially took precedence. But in the months immediately following the earthquake, Haiti has moved from recovery to development, helped along by a suite of integrated, USAID-sponsored programs designed to boost the country’s agricultural capabilities for the long term.
USAID reforms in science and technology have been integrated into the effort through a partnership with the University of Florida. The efforts are bearing fruit: Improved yields in vegetables and other crops are contributing to significant increases in the incomes of paysans, the farmers of Haiti.
In looking at modern Haiti, agriculture’s role in the economy has declined significantly since the 1950s, when the sector employed 80 percent of the labor force and represented 50 percent of the gross domestic product. Today, agriculture forms 60 percent of the labor force and just 25 percent of the GDP. A combination of factors, notably the legacies of political instability and economic sanctions, as well as rapid population growth, has resulted in a continuing decline in food security.
The election of President Michel Martelly in 2011 infused the Government of Haiti with new leadership, energy, and enthusiasm for engaging with the international community on long-term rebuilding efforts. Cheryl Mills, counselor and chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, has emphasized U.S. determination to support the development of the agriculture sector under a coordinated plan led by the Government of Haiti.
In a meeting at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters shortly after the earthquake, Mills stated that “the U.S. global hunger and food-security initiative—Feed the Future—embraces this challenge, calling upon development partners to invest in country-led plans that provide a comprehensive approach to substantially and sustainably reduce hunger and poverty.”
Income in Conservation
Haiti’s mountainous terrain suffers from efforts to increase agricultural production by pushing annual crops up steep slopes, resulting in deforestation, flooding, erosion, and damage to the more productive plains regions downstream. To curtail the damaging effects, Feed the Future makes targeted investments in deforested and eroded hillsides that also protect the investments in productive agricultural plains.
James Woolley, the contracting officer’s representative for the Feed the Future initiative in Haiti, notes that the program facilitates the planting of high-value, income-boosting tree crops—such as cocoa and mango trees—that can also stabilize hillsides with their roots: a win-win for both farmers and the environment. Farmers are also taught conservation and better technique.
As a result, more than 10,000 hectares of land came under improved natural resource management, and over 10,000 Haitians were trained in soil conservation, agroforestry (which benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock) and the use of hedgerows along slope contour lines. As perhaps the main testament to the program’s success, damage by November 2010’s tropical storm Tomas in the USAID zones of intervention was mitigated, while other areas were not so lucky.
Lewis Tatem, the head of USAID’s economic growth and agricultural development team in Haiti, points out that Feed the Future’s agricultural activities have been exceptionally successful, resulting in an average 102-percent yield increase for sorghum, 338-percent increase for corn, 97-percent increase in beans, and a 21-percent increase in plantain production.
Using the newly introduced System of Rice Intensification—which uses less water, fewer seeds, and less fertilizer—rice yields for USAID-assisted farmers increased by 64 percent in the last two years, while national figures show a decline of 17 percent due to a prolonged dry season. In addition, post-harvest methodologies for specific crops, such as plantains, have reduced losses due to damage during transport, providing additional increases in smallholder farmers’ income.
Centers for Excellence
“I learned new techniques that helped me increase my income, without the need to acquire more land.”
In partnership with the Government of Haiti, USAID built five research and training centers, known by their Haitian acronym, CRDDs (see sidebar), to modernize Haiti’s agricultural sector. The centers provide research-based agriculture techniques and ways to address plant and pest issues.
The primary center in Bas Boen, near Port-au-Prince, is a five-hectare campus with three laboratories, demonstration plots, and ongoing projects. Through satellite technology, the University of Florida provides expertise from U.S. agronomists. While the Bas Boen center maintains a dormitory for nationwide participants, the other four centers are regionally focused.
One of the innovations pioneered through the Bas Boen CRDD was a donkey pack frame for transporting mangos and fragile crops to markets. Two prototype designs were fabricated at the university machine shop and field tested.
Initially, public and private sector partners will manage the CRDDs, including USAID, the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture, the National School of Agronomy, local farmer associations, and representatives from Haitian agribusinesses. In the next few years, the U.S. Government will transfer full management responsibilities to Haitian institutions.
“Our support will help train thousands of farmers over the next few years,” said USAID/Haiti Mission Director Carleene H. Dei. “Through these centers and the University of Florida, Haitian institutions will gain the knowledge and experience to manage the center without our assistance.”
Wilhem Emile is just one of nearly 10,000 Haitian farmers currently working with USAID to improve revenues and food security while repairing watersheds. He knows that his hard work is the critical component. “I learned new techniques that helped me increase my income, without the need to acquire more land,” said the plantain farmer.
By 2014, USAID intends to double the income of 100,000 rural households like Emile’s. The Agency’s Feed the Future project in Haiti expects an estimated $80 million in increased revenues through plantain production alone by 2014. When it comes to doing more with less, Haitian farmers are right there, leading the way.
Feeding the Future in Haiti
The U.S. Government’s flagship food-security program, Feed the Future, takes a multi-faceted approach that weds simple interventions and training to innovations in science and technology. Project activities are based on a landmark Environmental Vulnerability Assessment for Haiti, funded by USAID in 2007. Primary interventions include:
•Agricultural campaigns that provide technical and material support to many small farmers through farmer associations. These target a limited number of selected food crops. Farmers pay for their materials and for the use of tractors instead of hand labor for land preparation. The funds support farmers’ groups, which are increasingly self-sufficient.
•Centres Ruraux de Developpement Durable (CRDDs) are research and training centers developed in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, private entities, and farmer associations. The CRDDs benefit from the expertise provided by the University of Florida through visits and satellite communications technology. Each offers training, and each has a unique center of expertise such as plant pathology or a target crop such as mangoes.
•The Master Farmer program has graduated more than 700 farmers since 2009, enabling them to become proximity extension agents in their communities. They take four basic courses (agriculture, environment, management of small farms, family planning and nutrition) and two specialized courses that target the crops of that region. At the end of successful training, they are certified by the Ministry of Agriculture and return to their communities to train other farmers.
•Agro-forestry interventions that plant income-generating trees—such as cacao and mango—on eroded hillsides stabilize watersheds and protect those downstream from flooding.
(USAID) - By Susan DeCamp
A U.S.-Haitian agricultural growth strategy based on conservation and smart technique is already boosting incomes in the battered nation.
Making the most of limited resources is a driving concern of Haitian farmers, yet Wilhem Emile, one of USAID’s beneficiary farmers, counts himself a lucky man. As a plantain grower in the seaside town of Arcahaie, with just a half-hectare of land, he earns approximately $5,000 annually. That is 10 times the annual income of the average farmer with the same amount of land.
It is difficult to write anything about Haiti that does not start with the January 2010 earthquake, which is a defining, tragic moment in the country’s recent history. However, USAID’s current agricultural focus has been ongoing since 2009, most recently through the U.S. Government’s flagship global food-security initiative, Feed the Future. This foundation enabled the agriculture team to retool, redesign, and ramp up to provide urgently needed resources to farming families immediately following the life-altering tremblement de terre.
Projects—such as irrigation-system rehabilitation—that provided short-term jobs through cash-for-work initially took precedence. But in the months immediately following the earthquake, Haiti has moved from recovery to development, helped along by a suite of integrated, USAID-sponsored programs designed to boost the country’s agricultural capabilities for the long term.
USAID reforms in science and technology have been integrated into the effort through a partnership with the University of Florida. The efforts are bearing fruit: Improved yields in vegetables and other crops are contributing to significant increases in the incomes of paysans, the farmers of Haiti.
In looking at modern Haiti, agriculture’s role in the economy has declined significantly since the 1950s, when the sector employed 80 percent of the labor force and represented 50 percent of the gross domestic product. Today, agriculture forms 60 percent of the labor force and just 25 percent of the GDP. A combination of factors, notably the legacies of political instability and economic sanctions, as well as rapid population growth, has resulted in a continuing decline in food security.
The election of President Michel Martelly in 2011 infused the Government of Haiti with new leadership, energy, and enthusiasm for engaging with the international community on long-term rebuilding efforts. Cheryl Mills, counselor and chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, has emphasized U.S. determination to support the development of the agriculture sector under a coordinated plan led by the Government of Haiti.
In a meeting at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters shortly after the earthquake, Mills stated that “the U.S. global hunger and food-security initiative—Feed the Future—embraces this challenge, calling upon development partners to invest in country-led plans that provide a comprehensive approach to substantially and sustainably reduce hunger and poverty.”
Income in Conservation
Haiti’s mountainous terrain suffers from efforts to increase agricultural production by pushing annual crops up steep slopes, resulting in deforestation, flooding, erosion, and damage to the more productive plains regions downstream. To curtail the damaging effects, Feed the Future makes targeted investments in deforested and eroded hillsides that also protect the investments in productive agricultural plains.
James Woolley, the contracting officer’s representative for the Feed the Future initiative in Haiti, notes that the program facilitates the planting of high-value, income-boosting tree crops—such as cocoa and mango trees—that can also stabilize hillsides with their roots: a win-win for both farmers and the environment. Farmers are also taught conservation and better technique.
As a result, more than 10,000 hectares of land came under improved natural resource management, and over 10,000 Haitians were trained in soil conservation, agroforestry (which benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock) and the use of hedgerows along slope contour lines. As perhaps the main testament to the program’s success, damage by November 2010’s tropical storm Tomas in the USAID zones of intervention was mitigated, while other areas were not so lucky.
Lewis Tatem, the head of USAID’s economic growth and agricultural development team in Haiti, points out that Feed the Future’s agricultural activities have been exceptionally successful, resulting in an average 102-percent yield increase for sorghum, 338-percent increase for corn, 97-percent increase in beans, and a 21-percent increase in plantain production.
Using the newly introduced System of Rice Intensification—which uses less water, fewer seeds, and less fertilizer—rice yields for USAID-assisted farmers increased by 64 percent in the last two years, while national figures show a decline of 17 percent due to a prolonged dry season. In addition, post-harvest methodologies for specific crops, such as plantains, have reduced losses due to damage during transport, providing additional increases in smallholder farmers’ income.
Centers for Excellence
“I learned new techniques that helped me increase my income, without the need to acquire more land.”
In partnership with the Government of Haiti, USAID built five research and training centers, known by their Haitian acronym, CRDDs (see sidebar), to modernize Haiti’s agricultural sector. The centers provide research-based agriculture techniques and ways to address plant and pest issues.
The primary center in Bas Boen, near Port-au-Prince, is a five-hectare campus with three laboratories, demonstration plots, and ongoing projects. Through satellite technology, the University of Florida provides expertise from U.S. agronomists. While the Bas Boen center maintains a dormitory for nationwide participants, the other four centers are regionally focused.
One of the innovations pioneered through the Bas Boen CRDD was a donkey pack frame for transporting mangos and fragile crops to markets. Two prototype designs were fabricated at the university machine shop and field tested.
Initially, public and private sector partners will manage the CRDDs, including USAID, the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture, the National School of Agronomy, local farmer associations, and representatives from Haitian agribusinesses. In the next few years, the U.S. Government will transfer full management responsibilities to Haitian institutions.
“Our support will help train thousands of farmers over the next few years,” said USAID/Haiti Mission Director Carleene H. Dei. “Through these centers and the University of Florida, Haitian institutions will gain the knowledge and experience to manage the center without our assistance.”
Wilhem Emile is just one of nearly 10,000 Haitian farmers currently working with USAID to improve revenues and food security while repairing watersheds. He knows that his hard work is the critical component. “I learned new techniques that helped me increase my income, without the need to acquire more land,” said the plantain farmer.
By 2014, USAID intends to double the income of 100,000 rural households like Emile’s. The Agency’s Feed the Future project in Haiti expects an estimated $80 million in increased revenues through plantain production alone by 2014. When it comes to doing more with less, Haitian farmers are right there, leading the way.
Feeding the Future in Haiti
The U.S. Government’s flagship food-security program, Feed the Future, takes a multi-faceted approach that weds simple interventions and training to innovations in science and technology. Project activities are based on a landmark Environmental Vulnerability Assessment for Haiti, funded by USAID in 2007. Primary interventions include:
•Agricultural campaigns that provide technical and material support to many small farmers through farmer associations. These target a limited number of selected food crops. Farmers pay for their materials and for the use of tractors instead of hand labor for land preparation. The funds support farmers’ groups, which are increasingly self-sufficient.
•Centres Ruraux de Developpement Durable (CRDDs) are research and training centers developed in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, private entities, and farmer associations. The CRDDs benefit from the expertise provided by the University of Florida through visits and satellite communications technology. Each offers training, and each has a unique center of expertise such as plant pathology or a target crop such as mangoes.
•The Master Farmer program has graduated more than 700 farmers since 2009, enabling them to become proximity extension agents in their communities. They take four basic courses (agriculture, environment, management of small farms, family planning and nutrition) and two specialized courses that target the crops of that region. At the end of successful training, they are certified by the Ministry of Agriculture and return to their communities to train other farmers.
•Agro-forestry interventions that plant income-generating trees—such as cacao and mango—on eroded hillsides stabilize watersheds and protect those downstream from flooding.
ARTICLE - AG. MINISTER IN THE NORTHWEST
WEEKEND OF WORK IN THE NORTHWEST FOR THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE
(Haiti Libre) -
This weekend, the agronomist Hébert Docteur, the Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR), went to the Northwest. During his visit the Minister met with several peasant associations in Jean Rabel, Mare Rouge, Guinodé, Côte de Fer, Bombardopolis and Mole Saint-Nicolas.
"It was an Easter weekend both enriching and revealing. My mission in the Northwest, the department where I was born, was full of emotion. The resilience of the local populations is indescribable... The 8-month drought, has in no way altered the warmth of these citizens, who did not hide their joy, while expressing their fears over the threat of famine hanging over the department. They also shared their hopes... Confident in the support of the Government, they expect concrete answers to immediate needs!", declared Hébert Docteur.
"Our compatriots are going through hard times, but they know what they want [...] The dialogue with the peasant associations of Jean Rabel was very constructive. This is a team effort, with the peasants as key agents of change! MARNDR feels privileged to have the active participation of peasants!"
The Minister Hébert Docteur also visited the Farm "La Saline" at the Gaston farm. This farm, which belonged to the grandparents of the Minister, is now run by other family members. It is a source of wealth for the Department; 50 carreaux of land operated by 80% in banana production and 20% in shallots and lemon.
At Chansolme and Port de Paix, the Minister visited the Departmental Directorate of Agriculture of the Northwest, and evaluated the progress of work on the agricultural infrastructure recently launched.
"We also came to the Northwest to analyze and evaluate the feasibility of the most ambitious projects that Haiti has ever known: the deviation of the Three Rivers (Trois Rivières) to irrigate the lower Northwest better; known under the name Far West." The Minister has followed the path of the Three Rivers on a distance of 47 kilometers up to the future site of the dam from which water can be diverted downstream.
This Sunday, the Minister of Agriculture took the opportunity to wish in a statement "[...] that the Easter spirit can inhabit us, guide us and enable each citizen to become aware of the urgent need to play their part for the rebirth of our motherland! At the level of MARNDR, we believe that the peasants have already taken this step. It is our responsibility, as members of the Government, to support them in this quest for a better life, dependent on economic recovery and sustainable development [...]; which is part of the long term vision of the Executive, to have a modern agriculture, agro-ecological, productive and competitive."
In a second press release that same day, learning the news of the terrible accident at Morne Tapion, the Minister Hébert Docteur has transferred his sympathies to the families and friends victims of the accident. "All our sympathies to relatives and friends of victims of the accident occurred on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at Morne Tapion - 26 dead! A significant loss, knowing that the passengers of the truck were mostly merchants, who risked their lives every day, looking for a better life for themselves and for their relatives. We wish a speedy recovery to the thirty wounded. May the souls of those who have gone from us rest in peace!"
(Haiti Libre) -
This weekend, the agronomist Hébert Docteur, the Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR), went to the Northwest. During his visit the Minister met with several peasant associations in Jean Rabel, Mare Rouge, Guinodé, Côte de Fer, Bombardopolis and Mole Saint-Nicolas.
"It was an Easter weekend both enriching and revealing. My mission in the Northwest, the department where I was born, was full of emotion. The resilience of the local populations is indescribable... The 8-month drought, has in no way altered the warmth of these citizens, who did not hide their joy, while expressing their fears over the threat of famine hanging over the department. They also shared their hopes... Confident in the support of the Government, they expect concrete answers to immediate needs!", declared Hébert Docteur.
"Our compatriots are going through hard times, but they know what they want [...] The dialogue with the peasant associations of Jean Rabel was very constructive. This is a team effort, with the peasants as key agents of change! MARNDR feels privileged to have the active participation of peasants!"
The Minister Hébert Docteur also visited the Farm "La Saline" at the Gaston farm. This farm, which belonged to the grandparents of the Minister, is now run by other family members. It is a source of wealth for the Department; 50 carreaux of land operated by 80% in banana production and 20% in shallots and lemon.
At Chansolme and Port de Paix, the Minister visited the Departmental Directorate of Agriculture of the Northwest, and evaluated the progress of work on the agricultural infrastructure recently launched.
"We also came to the Northwest to analyze and evaluate the feasibility of the most ambitious projects that Haiti has ever known: the deviation of the Three Rivers (Trois Rivières) to irrigate the lower Northwest better; known under the name Far West." The Minister has followed the path of the Three Rivers on a distance of 47 kilometers up to the future site of the dam from which water can be diverted downstream.
This Sunday, the Minister of Agriculture took the opportunity to wish in a statement "[...] that the Easter spirit can inhabit us, guide us and enable each citizen to become aware of the urgent need to play their part for the rebirth of our motherland! At the level of MARNDR, we believe that the peasants have already taken this step. It is our responsibility, as members of the Government, to support them in this quest for a better life, dependent on economic recovery and sustainable development [...]; which is part of the long term vision of the Executive, to have a modern agriculture, agro-ecological, productive and competitive."
In a second press release that same day, learning the news of the terrible accident at Morne Tapion, the Minister Hébert Docteur has transferred his sympathies to the families and friends victims of the accident. "All our sympathies to relatives and friends of victims of the accident occurred on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at Morne Tapion - 26 dead! A significant loss, knowing that the passengers of the truck were mostly merchants, who risked their lives every day, looking for a better life for themselves and for their relatives. We wish a speedy recovery to the thirty wounded. May the souls of those who have gone from us rest in peace!"
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