Haiti Horticulture

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This project focuses on proving a contract farming model with a small number of farmers. It has two components: Component 1 (Farmer training) builds farmer capacity to produce horticulture with the variety, quantity, quality, food safety standards and price that meets the buyer’s needs, and that provides sustainable revenues to the farmer. Special attention will be paid to improving soil and water management practices and to producing crops based on food safety standards (pest residues management, safe irrigation practices). Component 2 (Value Chain Development) will demonstrate a scalable contract farming system, for two IFC clients in the Northeast and Port-au-Prince (PAP). In the Port-au-Prince area, the project will work principally with an established community-based farmer organization called SOHADERK, with 7,500 members, located in the vegetable-growing area of Port-au- Prince (Kenscoff). Proposed target crops are lettuce, strawberry, cucumber, and pepper. In the Northeast, where there is less farmer capacity, the project will work with a committed large regional buyer of fresh produce for its workers. On the production side, the project will adopt a three-track approach in order to spread risk (of e.g. local drought or pests, social unrest, side selling, etc.) and find the best possible match(es) for the buyer. Onions, carrots and cabbage will be the key crops; leek and pepper will also be considered.