Help Haitians Grow Food Themselves

Lambi Fund’s Sustainable Development program aims to lay the foundation for organizations to increase food security in their communities and income for their rural members’ families. Organizasyon Peyizan Moje (OPMO) wants to provide its 150 members (100 men and 50 women) with resources that will make the soil more productive and increase their agricultural outputs.  The erratic rainfall in the area has made it difficult for OPMO members to have a consistent source of food and income for their families.   Therefore, OPMO approached Lambi Fund with a project proposal that included a request for four three-inch mobile irrigation pumps and 150,000 Haitian gourdes (HTG) to create the agricultural credit fund.  Additionally, OPMO requested technical assistance to build a project framework and learn about mobile pump operations and credit fund management.

 On March 15, 2013, Lambi Fund staff and 31 members of OPMO (nine Executive Committee members and 22 local delegates) convened to officially launch the irrigation and credit fund project.  In a formal ceremony, participants reiterated the intentions of the project, and the needs that it is aimed at addressing.  OPMO members expressed hope that the project will have impacts in the wider community, beyond the organization and its members.

 In the first six months of the project, OPMO has completed the following activities:

•  OPMO established a 150,000 HTG agricultural credit fund and disbursed loans, each for 5,000 HTG, to 30 members to make investments in their farms.
• Borrowers are ahead of schedule in repaying their loans due to a highly productive agricultural season.
• Thirty-one OPMO members are in project committee positions, taking responsibility for project activities.
• The organization has four mobile irrigation pumps that has stabilized access to water for its members during the dry season that began in late fall.

Recognizing that sustainable agriculture is an essential element in the development of rural Haiti, The Lambi Fund will work closely with members of OPMO during the next 24 months.  We will provide, training education, capacity building for the organization and will jointly work on developping strategies to meet the recurrent challenges of climate change and lack of national infrastructure support.