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.

Links:

• Read more about our programs!
• Where we work!