Bringing Farmers Together in a Flourishing Distribution Network
With USAID support, members sell more vegetables at higher prices directly to supermarkets, restaurants, and wholesalers
Kenscoff, a rural community in the mountains near Port-au-Prince, has long been known as a cool haven for those seeking to escape the heat of the city, but also as one of the most productive vegetable growing areas in Haiti. Its subtropical highland climate helps farmers produce an abundance of delicious potatoes, carrots, broccoli, onions, cabbages, beets, and other nutritious vegetables to feed the growing populations of Port-au-Prince and its surrounding communities.
However, until recently, Kenscoff farmers were not reaping the full profits of their fields due to significant post-harvest losses.
Kenscoff farmers like Estalien Jean Rissaint traditionally sold their products themselves at the markets of Port-au-Prince and surrounding communities. Right after harvest, they filled straw bags with their produce, loaded them into trucks filled to the brim, and hopped in, often right on top of their vegetables. They rode down the rough mountain road at 2 in the morning to get to market by sunrise to sell the vegetables that were not damaged in transit. Any unsold products that day were thrown away because they had no place to store them.
Moreover, farmers often lost a portion of their meager earnings to thieves running the markets and threatening them at knife point. Daphne Laurent, a farmer and a member of the farming association Solidarite Haïtienne pour le Développement Rural de Kenscoff (SOHADERK), explains: “In the past, we lost nearly 60 percent of our harvest in the field or during transportation. Plus, we were often assaulted by thugs.”
This left farmers struggling to take care of their families and reinvest in their farms before each planting season.
For over a decade, USAID has supported the small farmers of Kenscoff to promote agricultural innovation and create more economic opportunities. These initiatives improved and protected the watershed by supporting sustainable hillside agriculture, erosion control, tree planting, and watershed governance. They also helped farmers increase their productivity through improved planting and harvesting techniques and better market-driven access to critical inputs like seeds, fertilizers, tools, and technologies such as irrigation.
After learning about the farmers’ continuing struggles, USAID began working with the SOHADERK farming association to develop a sustainable solution. The focus: how to get the farmers’ vegetables directly to higher paying markets, while minimizing post-harvest losses and security risks. USAID also reached out to its long-time partner, Centres Rural de Développement Durable de Robin, which provides training and extension services to Kenscoff farmers. Together, they helped SOHADERK set up a processing center and distribution networks, which enabled the farmers to sell directly to supermarkets, restaurants, and wholesalers in and around Port-au-Prince.
A better, safer way to do business
Instead of risking their lives for meager earnings, Kenscoff farmers like Estalien now sell their vegetables through SOHADERK. This farming association receives orders from supermarkets, restaurants, and wholesalers, and sources the vegetables within their network of more than 200 farmers.
The farmers deliver the vegetables to the processing center, where produce is cleaned and packaged, and then securely delivered to the clients. SOHADERK collects the money and pays the farmers, withholding a small commission to cover costs. SOHADERK also organizes periodic agricultural fairs to help farmers sell their produce directly to retail customers.
Selling to produce commercial customers guarantees that farmers will be able to sell their vegetables at much better prices. ‘‘The program helps dramatically reduce post-harvest losses and increases farmers’ income, improving the livelihoods of their families,’’ said Pierre Paul Jules, the president of SOHADERK.
Christelle Antoine, 33, a farmer who sells her vegetables through SOHADERK agrees wholeheartedly. She says that, “with this farmers’ network, we now sell our products without fear. We get our money directly to take care of our families. There’s no more worry, no more theft, no more throwing away vegetables that didn’t sell. We feel more secure.”
Estalien Jean Rissaint, 57, another farmer adds: “No more haphazard harvest! We plant less but we produce more vegetables, and we sell for higher prices.”
A Path to Sustainability
With USAID support, SOHADERK now has the capacity to sell more than 20,000 pounds of vegetables each month — worth about $24,000. By serving as an intermediary, SOHADERK also generates income from the sales commissions, which will eventually make the operation sustainable without USAID assistance. This will allow the association to continue operating the processing center, expand the distribution network, and provide training and extension services to Kenscoff farmers for years to come.
A key element of SOHADERK’s strategy is to train master farmers in improved agricultural techniques. Master farmers, many of whom are women, plant demonstration plots to show how the improved agricultural techniques, like improved seeds, proper planting density, soil fertility management and integrated pest management, increase yields, and train local farmers on how to apply these more efficient techniques to their own farms to increase their yields.
USAID is proud to work alongside Haitian farmers to increase the supply of healthy, locally grown vegetables. This helps ensure that Haitian consumers have access to quality and nutritious foods, creates economic opportunities for farmers, makes communities more resilient, and reduces Haiti’s reliance on imports.
About the Author
Soukaina Martin is Acting Development Outreach Communication Specialist at USAID’s Mission in Haiti.
