Agriculture and Food

On a recent visit to Cornillon, a town in the west department district of Croix-des-Bouquets, the Haitian head of state, President Michel Martelly made gifts to the long-standing town. On the occasion of their 125th anniversary, the residents of Cornillon were treated to a distribution of agricultural equipment from their president, one of whose mandates is the advancement of the Haitian agricultural sector.

The tools were given to local farmers who make their living farming cash crops such as coffee and fruit. As such, his stated intent was to assist them in making more bountiful harvests. However, as it stands, even with these new tools, farmers in the community of Cornillon still find it hard to eke out subsistence because of other, chronic problems plaguing the area.

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Near the end of November a forum, attended by at least 12 internationally known panelists on the subject of Haitian coffee, was held to jumpstart the Korekafe project. Held in Thiotte, Haiti's first international 'Coffee Cupping Event' saw the participation of those such as: France's Christophe Eberhart and Florent Gout, Canada's Guylaine Pelletier, the USA's Brad Brandhost and Casey Blanche and Diane Nsengiyumva and Edouardo Ramos Samahoya from Haiti, among others.

The project was the brain child of Agronomists and Veterinarians Without Borders (AVSF), various partners locally as well as the French NGO. The panel gathered on the 28 and 29 of November to discuss Haitian coffee, its mysteries and the potential for its flavors in the presence of those players active in the local coffee industry.

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It has been a favorable year for the harvesting of certain crops in Haiti and, as such, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has made the commitment to buy at least 1,750 metric tons of rice grown locally by Haitian farmers. The rice will be put to use within the WFP school feeding program, and will benefit local producers.

Constituting a considerable increase from the amount of locally farmed rice bought by the WFP in 2012, this year's bid is over 500 tons more. From last year's count, other food stuff bought for the school program included 133 tons of ground corn and another 1,169 tons of rice donated to the cause.

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Fair Trade Café is located at 4882 Palm Coast Parkway North West, Florida. They serve coffees that are harvested by hardworking men and women in Haiti. Your purchase at 'Fair Trade Café' will help people in an impoverished country to earn a living. Haitian coffee is a wonderful product that simply needs a proper market where it can be sold. Fair Trade Café works jointly with 'Singing Rooster', which is a certified 501 (c) (3 ) nonprofit enterprise that offers on-ground assistance and partnership to the coffee harvesters and makes direct buyer relationships. They also assist in cultivating high quality gourmet Haitian coffee, buy, sell and export bulk quantities of Haitian coffee beans.

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Pediatric malnutrition is sadly prevalent in Haiti. The major problem with the epidemic is that, as well as the bloated stomachs common to the issue, children are at the risk of their growth being physically hindered by the stunting effects of the lack of protein that plagues those from poor countries. Hoping to offer a permanent solution to the problem, a new product to combat malnutrition, called Nourimanba, has been developed and a batch shipped for distribution in Haiti.

High in calories and protein, Nourimanba is a peanut based food that uses vegetable oil, a much needed mixture of vitamins as well as sugar to provide a balanced meal in one serving to children at risk. The venture will be highly localized, with a Haitian-run facility, using peanuts grown by farmers within the country. The pilot project, giving patronage to 300 local farmers, will also serve to ramp up the quality of the supplied peanuts being used at the factory.

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Haiti has been depending on food aid for over last 50 years. Decades of inexpensive imports has destroyed the local agriculture. Haitian import tariff on food at 3% are among the lowest in the Caribbean. As a result, Haiti is unable to feed himself.

Today Haiti depends on the outside world nearly most of its sustenance. Fifty five percent of the food eaten in the country is imported, mostly from U.S and the Dominican Republic; this includes 80% of all the rice consumed within the country. However, recently some of the international aid agencies have raised a cry of alarm. Haiti is facing severe food shortage. Almost two-thirds of the population (around 7 million people) is hungry.

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Here is a video I found and wanted to share with you. In brief this video is being promoted by Harry Nicolas, AKA: Met Fey Vet. The video shows the various food items produced locally in Haiti that we can consume without the necessity to import from the Dominican republic or the US.

Mo Chè, pou-m di ou vrèman, Lè k map gade mage sa yo, Bouch mwen kole dlow"

Now do you remember Harry Nicolas. He is the Haitian nationalist who successfully organized the "Kita Nago". He helped organized the walk of unity. He is the same person who has been promoting this concept. "Ayiti Manje Lokal"

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At this year's World Food Day in Haiti the theme was "Sustainable food systems at the service of food security and nutrition". Minister of Agriculture, Thomas Jacques, spoke on banana production, which has declined noticeably within the last two decades. The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture issued a report, citing banana production was under 450,000 metric tons by 2009. In 1999 banana production was 600,000 metric tons.

Bananas are one of the largest-volume exports Haiti has had in the past, and Jacques hopes for resurgence in banana production and consumption in the future. With funds available to up banana production, employment opportunities would increase and food insufficiency decrease.

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Tonton Bicha, an expert in advertising, seems to be getting into some hot water recently. According to some who listen to his latest advertising he did for the Rhum Bakara, the suggested that Tonton bicha went too far in putting down Rhum Barbancourt and the Haitian Voodoo religion.

Tonton Bicha actually never mentioned the name of the competitor Barbancourt in his ad; however, that doesn't stop people from assuming that he was clearly referring to Barbancourt rhum

He stated in the ad "Pa Banm Kou" to refer to the competitor which seem to me very different from "Barbancourt", or is it?

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Four non-government organizations (NGOs) have partnered to aid coffee producers in Haiti, growing coffee beans for the export market. The Clinton and Leslois Shaw Foundations, along with La Columbe Torrefaction and Four Seasons Hotels, have revealed Four Seasons will start offering Haitian coffee on its menus. The variety chosen for inclusion on the menus is a coffee bean indigenous to mountainous areas enfolding Thiotte. La Columbe is the coffee bean wholesaler.

Part of a long-term partnership to outsource Haitian coffee to wider markets, the NGOs intend to create more employment opportunities and raise the standard of living for many Haitians as the enterprise develops new markets.

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