By Teresa Henry | Program Coordinator
A seed bank in rural Haiti provides seed for over 6,000 families post Hurricane Matthew.
Five months ago, the Colorado Haiti Project launched a seed bank in the rural community of Petit Trou de Nippes, Haiti in response to the devastation of Hurricane Matthew. There were damaged homes, lost livestock and destruction of crops and food supply. The seed bank provided seeds at one-third the normal price affording access to the local staples of corn and beans.
The first planting season post-hurricane is in the ground and the corn is high. The seed bank, through the efforts of the community and with the support of our donors, provided over 6,000 families rations of grain seed. Over 66,000 pounds of seed was sold and a mobile seed bank was launched to serve the remote mountain communities that were having difficulty reaching the centrally located seed bank.
As we thankfully watch the results of this first planting, we begin to plan for future steps of agricultural preparedness with the community. One frequent request from the farmers and families of the region at the seed bank has been for other varieties of seed. Corn and beans are essential to the diet of this area but more is needed to complete the nutritional profile necessary for healthy families. This summer, the seed bank is offering kits for the next planting with corn and beans and the addition of chard, okra, watermelon and leeks. When the planting time is right, tomatoes, cabbage and onions will be added.
Please continue to support this community-led project providing Haitian families with the life-giving tools essential to planting and growing their own food.
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