AGRICULTURE

Haiti has been an important exporter of coffee, vanilla, cane sugar, cocoa and essential oils throughout its history. Unfortunately, in recent decades’ deforestation, soil degradation, overpopulation and political instability have taken a heavy toll on rural Haiti. The trade embargo in 1994 ended or severely reduced several industries, and the 2010 earthquake had a severe impact on the people, markets and already suffering infrastructure of the country. The disaster did, however, galvanize the Haitian people and international supporters, and the past five years have witnessed significant improvements in road infrastructure, access to finance and support for business and foreign investment.

Climatic events such also have long-term consequences, gradually degrading soils overtime and increasing the likelihood of future food insecurity, especially in the countryside. In addition, the country’s economic situation has also deteriorated, causing high inflation. The cost of the average food basket increased and Haitian households are forced to reduce their food consumption, and adopt negative coping strategies (e. g. reduce the number of meals per day, reduce the nutritional quality of food). Food is difficult to access for its price and availability. In addition, socio-political crises are disrupting imports, which make up 44% of food stocks in Haiti.

ODEKA aims at providing structural responses to recurrent food crises by investing in livelihoods and income-generating activities. These interventions promote access to income, and thus contribute to increasing the resilience of the most vulnerable to shocks. It also allows to strengthen and diversify local cultures to better meet the food needs locally. We will plant 2000 bananas, 1200 lemon trees and sugar cane. They benefit Haitian families by either providing a nutritional supplement for consumption, feed for animals, or acting as an agent to stabilize and improve the soil. With donor support, we are able to educate families on how to plant, grow and harvest the trees, as well as improve the overall food security for the people.

Our strategic objective is to reduce rural poverty and strengthen the climate resilience of rural Haitian communities by:

Promoting sustainable and inclusive management of natural resources
Promoting community economic ecosystems that are sustainable, diversify livelihoods, and facilitate good nutrition.
Improving local agriculture support services