Emergency Seed Bank to avert famine in Haiti.

Phase 11 of the seed distribution was completed in March 2021. There were sixty contributed seed varieties including onions, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, greens, broccoli, melons, carrots, cabbage, spinach, beets, peas, and okra that were distributed to fifty-five farmers in eleven communities. There were also three schools implementing school gardens, women’s groups, and youth farmers in addition to the individual farmers.

As a result of the first two seed distributions, a mom of four children in the community of Bois de Lance shared that she was able to successfully grow her own crops to contribute to the savings pool twice weekly. This mom now has her own vegetable nursery and is preparing to transplant her seedlings with the help and technical support of the Ag technicians.

Another participant is grateful that she can now eat healthy fruits and vegetables from her own garden and share with others as a result of this wholistic program. This woman in the Balan community is thankful as she prepares to transplant her sprouts and states the program has given her life more meaning. She loves that she can now look forward to vegetables year-round and hopes there is more investment in agriculture because it is strength in the communities.

Women in the communities have been especially vigilant about growing their own food to feed their families. However, necessary tools used to prepare the soil, plant, and harvest, such as hoes, shovels, picks, machetes, and wheelbarrows to help the women maximize their efforts are in short supply. It is also critical that Agronomists be available to train, coach, and supervise the participants during each stage of plant life for the most successful outcomes. Sonje-Ayiti is giving its best efforts to afford to retain the two Ag technicians who support the farmers and other participants.

These are resilient communities whose members take pride in what they have been able to accomplish with the support and guidance they received.

Links:

• Rotary Club de Cap-Haitien

• Distribution1.pdf (PDF)
  
• Tools_1.pdf (PDF)
  
• Planting_9.pdf (PDF)
  
• Planting_8.pdf (PDF)
  
• Planting_7.pdf (PDF)
  
• Planting_6.pdf (PDF)
  

As a result of the August 2020 seed distribution, beans, yucca, sweet potato, and spinach were planted, blossomed, and harvested!  In the community of Balan, farmers sold some of the harvest surplus after feeding their households, and also donated spinach seeds to the seed bank to help ensure program sustainability. Other beneficiary farmers who planted in the December rainy season will reap the harvest around March or April.

There were small donations of spinach, okra, and black beans crops that were used primarily to feed 300 students, many of whom receive their only daily meal at the CIMA School of Hope. Sonje-Ayiti has a separate project to help feed these children and provide for their education.

Phase 11 of the seed distribution planned for January 2021 has been delayed due to a lack of funding and supplies. Unfortunately, donations from the on-going GlobalGiving campaign have been minimal over the past several months and insufficient to provide substantial help to the Emergency Seed Bank project.

Sonje-Ayiti has an approved request for vegetable seeds through another seed distribution program. Those seeds are expected to be delivered in March and will be distributed in Phase 11 around the end of April. It is expected that farmers will plant those seeds by May, which is the beginning of the next rainy season.