Hurricane Matthew destroyed farm and garden harvests that Haitian families were relying upon for essential nutrition. Working with partners rooted in local communities, SPI will provide seeds, supplies, and support to plant and nurture fast-growing vegetable crops. Together we can ensure a bountiful harvest of fresh, nutritious food in Haiti to aid recovery, provide income, and prevent shortages for many months to come.
In Les Cayes, one Haitian partner reports that most crops washed away, leaving families and farmers without food sources. Even in more protected areas, our partner AKV lost orchards, livestock, and a women's meeting building. Food is already more than 50% of the average Haitian family budget, and these new shortages will cause price spikes . Good seed for vegetables was already scarce in Haiti. Now, when the nutrition of fast-growing vegetables is most needed, seed is even harder to obtain.
This project will provide more than 100,000 packets of top-quality seeds, tools, and fertilizers needed to restore flooded gardens with fast-growing vegetable crops. SPI's partner network employs Haitian staff to build community support, school gardens, children's homes, and men's and women's farming cooperatives. SPI invests without overspending--we put resources in the hands of local programs who can deploy them most efficiently and effectively.
Disaster recovery requires a cooperative approach. Others work to deliver water and rebuild homes, and counter cholera--immediate needs. But in the years to follow, rebuilding the ability of rural Haitians to grow food becomes job #1. Long after this disaster fades from the news, the slow work of replanting and reviving gardens will continue for years. Looking beyond the crisis, strong rural food production is a basis of not only Haitian survival, but also strength, self-sufficiency, and power.
