Introducing sustainable farming in Haiti

The Challenge

Haiti’s fertile landscape offers rich opportunities for farming and other agricultural activities. But poor governance, outdated farming techniques and limited access to modern agricultural supplies have driven farmers to use antiquated methods, often resulting in flooding and erosion that threatens lives and livelihoods. Much of the perennial cover of Haiti’s steep upper hillsides has been replaced by erosive annual cropping, and as a consequence, the magnitude of flooding in the plains has increased and water supplies have become much more erratic. Modernizing the Haitian agricultural sector would not only provide Haitians with a more sustainable way of life; it would reduce their vulnerability to natural disasters. 

The Solution

In 2009, Chemonics, an international development company that aids at-risk populations with long-term solutions for their health, agriculture, governance and other problems, launched a five-year, $128 million, USAID-funded program called WINNER – the Watershed Initiative for National Natural Environmental Resources. The project sustainably protects Haiti’s selected productive plains through an integrated approach that includes natural resource management, agricultural modernization and good governance. Through the $90 million Watershed Investment Fund, WINNER provides grants and subcontracts to beneficiary groups throughout Haiti to implement programs that increase the productivity of Haiti’s ailing agricultural sector. In its targeted areas of Cul de Sac, Cabaret-Arcahaie and Mirebalais-Saut d’Eau, to date:

• WINNER has developed five rural centers for sustainable development to serve as training and demonstration centers that showcase innovative agricultural techniques.
• WINNER has trained more than 2,000 “master farmers” in improved agricultural practices. These farmers transmit their knowledge to farmers associations and communities throughout Haiti.
• WINNER promoted and facilitated farmers’ access to improved agricultural packages, including modern soil preparation tools and techniques, urea briquette machines for more efficient soil fertilization, improved seeds and improved management of water drip irrigation systems.
• WINNER worked with selected Haitian farmer associations to introduce or promote innovative techniques such as vertical agriculture, drip irrigation, technical support via text messages, laboratory plant diagnostics and soil analysis.

The Impact

Two years after its inception, WINNER has rehabilitated the irrigation system for more than 4,925 hectares of farmland, protected more than 12,000 individuals from flooding and extended safe drinking water to more than 75,000 people. More than 10,000 Haitian farmers now have access to improved agricultural inputs, training and land mechanization tools. Through modern farming methods, improved business skills and reduced vulnerability to natural disasters, farmers are significantly increasing their crop yields and gradually building a sustainable future in farming.