Agriculture - Haiti Observer Blog

The Northwest region of Haiti, which has been suffering from prolonged drought periods, will be bound to experience a new change altogether after construction of artificial lakes. The project which involved the construction of over 160 artificial lakes was well appreciated by the local dwellers that would use the new resource for fishing, watering their animals and using it for irrigation. With the established artificial lakes up and running, local dwellers will be in a position to adequately suffice their food needs and earn some income from the economic activities promoted by the new resource in the region, President Martelly said.

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Nestlé is spear-heading a program that will target Haitian coffee farmers, who have the natural resources to produce specialty coffees. The corporation is collaborating with the Multilateral Investment Fund (FOMIN), a division of the Inter-American Development Bank, along with L'Agence Française de Développement. The agencies will hand out $3.5 million in grants to re-invigorate Haiti's sagging coffee industry. Statistics cite export coffee production plummeted from 191,000 bags in 1990 to 16,000 bags nearly two decades later.

The comprehensive program includes best practices for sustainability farming, coffee bean harvesting, sorting, manufacturing processes, quality assurance, fair trade certification, and marketing. The coffee collectives will also learn cost-effective techniques to lower production costs. The program will also assist coffee farmers learn new business skills, including collective procurement of agricultural tools, machinery, and methods of bean roasting.

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According to the news media, Monsanto, a U.S. agriculture giant is donating $4 million worth of seeds to Haiti following the earthquake.

There are rumors stating that these seeds are deadly and will do harm to the Haitian people. According to the critic, thirteen buffalo grazed on Monsanto corn stalk after harvest and all thirteen buffalo died in three days, pigs will not eat Monsanto corn.

The first 60 tons of the 475-ton donation of seeds arrived in Haiti last week. That shipment consisted of corn and vegetable seeds. Upcoming seed shipments will also include cabbage, carrot, eggplant, melon, onion, tomato, spinach and watermelon.

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