An Empowered Patnership: A Haitian Case Study.

Haiti is rich in history and culture, but stricken by resource limitation and natural disaster.   Continual support from outside governments and non-governmental organizations has fostered a culture of dependence for food security.  Food security issues in Haiti are deeply rooted in geopolitics. However, the domestic reality is that of a population around 10 million, half live in rural areas and survive by subsistence farming. In an effort to empower local farmers and develop community food systems, we have initiated a partnership with a federation of farmers that represents 5000 households. Our common purpose is to build a local, sustainable (economic, social, and environmental) food system that in the long term can expand to support wider domestic markets.  We have worked intensively with 300 farmers in an isolated area, with promising results.  With seed money from the US, locally-administered Extension-style programming has resulted in the creation of local markets, development of value-added products, business mentorships, agronomic education, soil management education, and joint long-term planning. With a focus on local ownership of these processes, these farmers have increased yields of rice by 300%.  The key partners in this endeavor include local Haitian businesses, US based non-governmental organizations, and universities, both private and public.  This paper will present both successes and failures in the process of integrating resources to move farmers from food dependence to local ownership and ultimately, market expansion.