OUR AREAS OF INTERVENTION
NOS AXES D'INTERVENTION
OUR AREAS OF INTERVENTION
CHFESDI
HAITIAN CENTER FOR TRAINING, SOCIAL ECONOMY AND INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT
Community agriculture
Agriculture is the driving force behind Haiti's economic development. This sector accounts for more than 27% of the national GDP, representing, on average, 50% of the rural labor force. About 80% of the Haitian population depends entirely on agricultural activities, which not only provide for their subsistence but also represent their main source of employment.
That being said, it is impossible to talk about economic development in Haiti without prioritizing support for the agricultural sector. This sector, which accounts for 21% of the Gross Domestic Product (IHSI, 2014), faces enormous challenges that can be transformed into opportunities, both socially and economically. Furthermore, 40% to 50% of the job market is derived from agriculture, covering an average of 40% of the country's agro-food needs.
Taking into account the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in agriculture, CHFESDI plans to primarily work with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to support the achievement of these goals, particularly with regard to the eradication of hunger, the elimination of poverty in Haiti, and environmental protection, notably by:
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Implementing agricultural initiatives that allow for the cultivation of agri-food products, their exchange, transportation, storage, and commercialization, aiming for inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
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Finding funding to support the elimination of hunger and malnutrition in Haiti, making rural areas, where more than 70% of the Haitian population lives, priority zones by supporting smallholders, family farmers, rural women, and fishermen through agricultural credit and technical assistance.
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Establishing integrated sustainable rural development projects that benefit the poor and promote social protection measures, enabling the Haitian population to escape chronic undernutrition and poverty.
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Ensuring that agricultural and agri-food projects take into account the protection and conservation of water and biodiversity, emphasizing the rational and measured use of inputs in agriculture and livestock sectors, as well as fighting desertification and other negative consequences of climate change through a national reforestation program.
There are vast opportunities that CHFESDI intends to explore in the agri-food sector, not only to promote the integration of agricultural producers and the farming class, but also to facilitate the economic development of the country. Indeed, the development of agriculture, livestock, fishing, and agri-food occupies a central role in socio-economic development. Currently employing more than 50% of the workforce, agriculture remains the most important sector of the labor market in Haiti. It is therefore one of the pillars of economic stability.
The National Community Agriculture Project (AgroCom) will take the form of an economic development project in rural Haiti. This project will be part of a regional economic development system tailored to the real needs of the Haitian population, strengthening agricultural production and supporting trade exchanges. Let us recall that in the past, Haiti was entirely self-sufficient in food production. This is no longer the case today, as approximately 80% of export revenues are used to pay for food imports that we could produce ourselves. Food insecurity is high, making Haiti and its population highly vulnerable to natural threats and fluctuations in the prices of basic commodities on international markets.