Help Haitians Grow Food Themselves

Today's cry is for food security and sovereignty in Haiti. With the level of poverty and the climactic events that engender greater risk to the resilience of the population, it is a critical element in the growth of the population yet often spoken about studied yet not a high priority for the administrations.  They do little to address the urgency and speak of development as an isolated series of numbers in indices and scales.  Although we understand the systemic approach necessary to address Haiti’s "essentially agriculture based economy", we have yet to realize as a people a partnership to structure change among the sectors controlling the economy including the international community whose role over the years has magnified with the installation of the MINUSTAH, the United Nations Forces of Peace, in a country without war.

It is essential that with 80% of the labor force unemployed, maintaining rural farmers in productive work to grow food and expand their production remains a priority.  The Lambi Fund has partnered with MOPDAD, the Peasant Movement for the Development of Delann, whose new integrated project has three components to enhance food production:

1. The irrigation component uses pumps to alternate watering 30 acres of land belonging to local farmers using the riverbed to pump uphill to maintain the productivity of the soil until the harvest.  
2. Second, there is availability for small loans to expand the acreage for the planters ($920,000.00 HTG) and a separate small loan fund for women members ($700,000.00 Haitian gourdes-HTG) who have established their small enterprises selling basic necessity items based on the season.
3. A mill was built to avail transformation of corn and millet and is available to members and non- members.

The food production of MOPDAD has supported 350 rural farmers in the Delann area. There were 175 loans for men and 175 loans for women enterprises approved by the organization’s management team ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 (HTG) and thus far reimbursed at 80%.  The 2% interest grows the fund and supports the organization in its expenses.  During the last month the mill generated the transformation of 36,696 pounds of cornmeal and 10,332 pounds of millet for cereal and local consumption. 

The increase in acreage, the relative income and revenue for individual farmers and enterprise builders are great motivators keeping farmers from migrating to cities where life is even tougher with high unemployment and an increasing cost of living.

These projects supported initially through the generosity of many donors, like yourself, are sustainable and within the coming year will be developing greater numbers of small enterprises and increase acreage of local production in spite of a long term national plan touching every farmer in Haiti.

Thanks for your support and keeping abreast of the progress rural peasants in Haiti are making in the face of grave challenges.

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The work of the Lambi Fund, since its inception, is essentially to support the national food production.Today It is an integrative process that support grassroot organizations to develop agricultural entrants, build their tool banks and seeds; to work their plots of land. The priority projects that result in maximization of agricultural output are the Oxplow that increase the acreage tilled for planting  and the Credit for planters that accompanies the Oxplow project. the funds, at an interest rate of 2%, facilitates planters to pay for the service of plowing at the initial stages. All revenues from the service increases the capacity of the organization to care for the community.  Equally valuable are the mills that has been installed with grassroots managers and producers to transform the harvest into the basic staples for daily food consumption and caloric intake.  Rice, cornmeal, Maize and millet are the three major food staples that supplies the largest caloric intake in the daily meals of the 70% of Haitian people in the rural area.

With longer droughts and shorter rainy seasons, it is critical that preparing the acreage for planting is timely and more production for stockage is critical to food security.  Looking at the recent projects that usually takes 24 months to reach sustainable levels, we partner with the following organization to construct mills and develop ox-plowing services:  

Oxplow and credit funds                                                      Mills

Peasant movement of Lafreziliere (MPL)                    ODRO:  Corn, maize, millet
OPBK                                                                        OBS:  Corn, maize
GWOFAMIL                                                               KFTK-NW:  Rice
UPLADEP                                                                  AJSDC:  Rice, millet
                                                                                 ACHVRO:  Sugar Cane
                                                                                 MOPDAD:  Rice

Imagine that the Ox plow allows the farmer to till 20 times faster than with a man with a hoe!.  But not every farmer can afford two oxen and a plow, the feed and the repairs.  The organization that develop this service is an invaluable asset to the whole community of farmers in its immediate surroundings.  

AJSDC, Saint Martin Youth Association for Community Development in Lartibonite in Haiti has managed their mill for the last two years.  Between June and December 2013 they transformed 144,785 pounds of corn and millet, having received 2343 visits, and had revenue totalling 207,322 Haitian Gourdes (HTG).  They are not only feeding the people of Saint Martin but the community dwellers are benefitting in extraordinary ways:  such as having sufficient revenue or income to send their children to school and to provide the basic care like medical services for their children.  Were there not to have developped this service, women and girls would still be carrying their harvest 6 hours away to stand in line waiting for service, not guaranteed at times.  Girls will lose school days and women will be sleeping away from home waiting for a service to mill and to take to the market.  Today it is all dne in one day.

Together with sustainable plans, appropriate education, capacity building for the long term, in respectful partnership with rural haitian farmers, we can support the local market and feed thepeopleof our community.

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• Our Spring 2014 Newsletter is Here!
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