CASE STUDY
The Dr. Louis G. Lamothe Foundation rolled out, over three years, a sustainable agriculture project of approximately USD 500,000 in Nan Pangnol, Haiti.
This project incorporated capacity building, the reinforcement of the production and marketing systems for agricultural projects, the revegetation of the micro-catchment areas and better management of the water resources.
Despite the strong agricultural potential of the area, the inhabitants of Nan Pangnol do not generate enough revenue to meet their basic needs.
This is due largely to:
- The difficulty in procuring quality seeds and fertilisers.
- High post-harvest losses due to the difficulty in preserving and transporting the produce to market.
- Decreasing crop yields due to soil losses on steep slopes.
- Persistent drought as a result of climate change.
The project aimed to increase the crop yield of Nan Pangnol by 30%, densify the plant cover of the micro-catchment areas, stabilise the slopes and improve the use of run-off waters as well as the produce marketing system.
Responsible stakeholders were necessary to ensure the sustainable management of the infrastructures that were be set up in Nan Pangnol. Initial training sessions in organizational structuring and financial management were completed. FLGL developed partnerships with several institutions specializing in reinforcement to allow existing organisations to play their role in the development of Nan Pangnol more efficiently.
The Foundation made contact with providers of agricultural inputs like seeds, tools, plant protection products and fertilizers to set up an outlet closer to Nan Pangnol. It has also been the point of contact with fertilizer providers to organise the proper training of farmers on how to use these products. Commercial partnerships have also facilitated between the Nan Pangnol farmers’ organisations and the supermarket owners with regard to the marketing of the produce.
FLGL planned a number of events to spread awareness of the problem of soil erosion in the micro-catchment areas. A number of training sessions addressed issues like soil degradation, climate change and reforestation, and the community, including school children, who we mobilized for seed-planting days. Six thousand (6 000) seedlings were planted at the start of the project. Each year, prizes were awarded to the school children and plot owners who had planted and nurtured the most trees.
Building a number of hillside dams will allow the reuse of run-off waters, limit the run-off waters to control soil erosion and improve the environmental and climatic conditions. Our next big project will be to build a number of hillside dams.
The success of this project will be to continue capacity building, disseminating of knowledge and training and partnerships with the appropriate Ministries to assist with various phases of the project. The Foundation believes that the best way to help a community is to empower it to support itself. While the Foundation will focus on seeking funds, on the facilitation between the different stakeholders, on the management of the funds and on monitoring the progress, the Nan Pangnol community organisations will be involved in participatory management and the implementation of the various components of the project.
