Physical Health Haiti Project #8672

Vegetable Gardens for Improved Nutrition in Haiti

by Partners of the Americas

Project Report | Jun 1, 2012
"Fanm se poto mitan devlopman"

By Meghan Olivier | Deputy Director

Woman with tomato plants

In Haitian Creole, “Fanm se poto mitan devlopman” can be translated into English as “Women are the cornerstone of development”. Benito Jasmin, local coordinator of the Global Giving Vegetable Gardens project in Lory, has learned from experience that women are a powerful force in Haitian communities. They use their new skills and income to improve the lives of their families and neighbors. Thanks to you, women in Lory have received materials and training which has allowed them to work and learn at the community nursery, transplant their own seedlings, and properly water their plants. The plants are now producing flowers and bearing fruit!

While working mainly with women, this project has also made an effort to incorporate men. Husbands have helped their wives prepare soil for transplants, helped with seedling transportation, and supported their wives in their agricultural activities. Benito commented that it was great to see husbands and wives making decisions together, and planning and laughing together.

With the promise that the women in this community have shown in their horticulture activities, new doors are beginning to open. Soon, the families will have the opportunity to raise chickens. The community and leaders are also exploring ideas to make Lory a more unified and well-kept community by planting trees and flowers, and they are even considering the possibility of future Eco-tourism activities in Lory.

Thank you for helping to supply the materials and training necessary to provide these determined women and their families with the opportunities and hope they need for the future! With your continued support, Lory will keep working towards becoming an economically self-sufficient community.

Nursery uses

Fanm se poto mitan devlopman

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Mar 13, 2012
Bonus Day! Your support could go 30% further!

By Peggy Carlson | Program Director

Jan 25, 2012
Vegetables are Growing in Lory

By Meghan Olivier | Project Facilitator

Seedling trials in Lory

Over the past months, the small garden activities in Lory have provided a good foundation for this new project, and vegetables are growing! After receiving the first seeds, project coordinator Benito Jasmin worked with a student to help conduct soil fertility trials to see which soil composure made the most effective growth medium for producing seedlings. The trials especially focused on the right mixture of rabbit manure, which makes excellent compost and ties in well to other activities in the community.

This project is helping fund a nursery in the community to house these seedlings. Providing seedlings to the community members, rather than just the seeds, improves the likelihood that the plants will successfully germinate and become productive, healthy plants. This is important for the community members’ gardens, and also their motivation.

Photographed is a picture of the trials: sweet corn plants, just 14 days old, in trays with different soil composition. Among the types of seeds being germinated are sweet corn, okra, cucumber, watermelon, herbs, gourds, and other vegetables.

A volunteer with the Farmer to Farmer Program, a collaborating program which provides training to local students and producers, is currently in Haiti to help find ways to lessen the pests and disease found in the soil. The volunteer and project leaders are experimenting with a few different ways of harnessing the heat from the sun to kill soil borne diseases. Soil quality is a big challenge for producers in Haiti, so these trials and the establishment of the nursery will be important to the success of this project.

Thank you to everyone who has donated to this project! Your support is making a different in Lory, Northern Haiti!

Links:

Farmer to Farmer provides technical assistance to Lory producers

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