A Review of Investing Three Years of Agricultural Education, Seed Capital, and Local Staffing in a Haitian Mountain Community.

The country of Haiti is rich in history and culture, and yet, has been stricken by natural disaster. The continual support from outside governments and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) has fostered an environment in which Haitians are dependent on outside sources for their food security. Food security issues are frequently discussed in the political arena outside the country; however, the reality on ground is that in a population of over 10 million people, 5 million live in rural areas surviving on subsistence farming. In an effort to empower local farmers and develop community food systems, Convoy of Hope has partnered with two mountain communities representing over 2000 farmers with the express purpose of building a food system that is sustainability-based.  The primary methodology has centered on giving farmers in this isolated area full-time access to Haitian agronomists, monthly educational workshops, and purposefully dispersed seed capital.    Since the introduction of this methodology, especially the educational component, in three seasons of black bean harvest the farmers (n=800) have had a 326% increase in crop yields, plus increases in soil productivity, seed saving, and family income.   The 326% yield increase has taken place without the addition of any commercial fertilizers (N,P,K) while the amount of seed startup has been decreased.     This paper will give a critical review of successes and failures in Haitian global agronomy by an international NGO.