Post Jeanne Rural Development Program for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security, Haiti
Family rice harvest. Photo: SKDE |
Sant Kretyen Pou Developman Entegre (SKDE—The Christian Center for Integrated Development)
Some 1,000 families--about 5,000 people--living in Haiti's Artibonite and the isolated and remote Northwest are taking part in a four-year project to develop their agriculture, with the help of Church World Service and local partner SKDE. The families, who suffered losses of crops, farming implements, and animals in 2004's Tropical Storm Jeanne and 2005's Tropical Storm Alpha, are members of 14 cooperatives working to recover their livelihoods.
The project is helping the farmer cooperatives with technical and financial assistance, while expanding local access for families to affordable credit to purchase agricultural tools, seeds, fertilizer, and livestock.
Families in the cooperatives are growing rice and vegetables, including shallots, beans, and garlic, and raising cows and chickens. Most of their harvests will be used to meet their own needs. Any surplus is sold in local markets, using their small income for medicine or for their children's education. The cooperative members repay the seed and fertilizer when their crops come in, to create a revolving fund for others to use.
The communities at large will directly benefit from stronger cooperatives that provide better services to members and non-members. With project support, cooperative leaders and members--men and women--receive training and technical assistance in organizational and program management, agricultural credit schemes, adult literacy, small loans programs, soil and water use and conservation, poultry and livestock management, and conflict resolution.
Support for Church World Service helps make this program possible.
Updated 5/15/2007
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