Top 5 Organizations Working to Create Sustainable Ag in Haiti

Signs of recovery have been woefully slow to materialize in post-quake Haiti. And while the country’s food crisis remains at the forefront of international concern, there is encouraging evidence that the best responses to the growing problem will come from a grassroots movement of sustainable agriculture.

Just over six months ago, when a magnitude-7.0 earthquake devastated much of Port-Au-Prince, food security in the country was already in a precarious position. Despite a rich agricultural history of self-sufficiency, Haiti had become largely dependent upon cheap, subsidized food imports in recent decades, leaving the country unable to adequately feed itself as it once had. When the quake struck, the country found itself without a local food supply to feed survivors and suddenly cut off from the sole port that supplied the country with 80 percent of its staple food crop – subsidized and imported “Miami Rice”.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, international contributions of food aid were critical given the dire circumstances, but when we’re considering long-term recovery efforts, the need to rebuild Haiti’s farming sector has become abundantly clear. Contributions from the international agribusiness sector – such as Monsanto’s controversial seed “donation” – are likely only to perpetuate a dependant system. It’s also vital that any funding provided to the country for rebuilding efforts be specifically directed towards community-based efforts, including food and farming programs. But what's a little less clear is what, exactly, those programs should look like.

To better understand how the people of Haiti can shift from their failed food system to one of self-sufficiency, filmmaker Joshua Levin has begun work on the non-profit documentary Hands That Feed. The film will explore the agricultural collapse in Haiti, its role in the post-quake food crisis, and, most importantly, the emerging grassroots agriculture models that are working to restore Haiti’s rural economy and environment. To that end, the film features five organizations working to revolutionize Haiti's agricultural system. You may have heard of some of the featured organizations already, such as  the MPP Peasant Movement, which made headlines when it organized a demonstration of 10,000 workers who burned those early shipments of Monsanto’s seeds. Beyond orchestrating protests, the group has been working to train poor communities on methods to establish food sovereignty.

One organization that I’m particularly excited to learn more about is Nouvelle Vie, which is training young Haitian leaders to teach thousands of Haitians how to farm sustainably, develop intensive agricultural plots in refugee camps and schoolyards, and demonstrate holistic breathing exercises to deal with stress. The organization is not only addressing the immediate needs of the community, but providing lasting tools to create sustainable food, water, and sanitation systems using locally available resources. To watch how transformational this training has already been for these young leaders is truly inspiring.

Some of the other organizations that the film will highlight include Noramise, which is using a micro-development model to develop sustainable agriculture and local industries in the Limbé region, and Partners in Health, which is working to establish community-based, sustainable food and health programs. The film will also feature GiveLove, which is working to build long-term, eco-friendly homes for displaced communities.

Learning about these organizations' efforts to secure a sustainable food system in Haiti provides glimmers of hope, but it’s vital these groups receive international recognition and support for the work they are doing. You can help make that happen by spreading the word. Hands That Feed is also still in the fundraising stage, and is hoping to meet an August 2nd deadline.