Haiti Distributes Vegetable Seeds to More Than 2,000 Farmers in the South
Ministry of Agriculture program backed by the World Bank aims to boost local production and food security across a dozen communes.
Haiti's Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Rural Development (MARNDR) is distributing vegetable seeds to more than 2,000 farmers across the Southern Department, according to haitilibre.com. The initiative targets a dozen communes, including Port-à-Piment, Chardonnières, Chantal, Saint-Jean-du-Sud, Saint-Louis-du-Sud, Maniche, Cavaillon, Les Cayes, Camp-Perrin, Port-Salut, Torbeck and Ducis.
The distribution is carried out under the emergency component of the Resilient Agriculture for Food Security Project (PARSA), funded by the World Bank. According to agronomist Thed St-Juste, PARSA's Assistant for Crop Production in the South, farmers will receive seeds for bell peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, spinach, lettuce, parsley, melons, leeks and papayas. Each beneficiary receives seeds for three distinct crops.
St-Juste said the inputs will help farmers establish "home gardens" near their residences, strengthening household food self-sufficiency amid widespread food insecurity. In each targeted commune, 100 farmers are selected; in communes with strong agricultural activity and irrigation systems, the number rises to 200.
The program is being run in collaboration with the Municipal Agricultural Offices (BAC), which help identify and select beneficiaries. The ministry says the goal is to increase farmers' incomes and improve the supply of fresh produce to local markets.