Mennonite Central Committee Canada is supporting Konbit Peyizan pou Ranfosman Kapsite Lokal with a five-year agriculture and livelihoods project in seven communities in the Artibonite department.
Food insecurity is a major issue in these communities due to chronic poverty, limited social services, and high reliance on agricultural livelihoods which is hampered by deforestation, erosion, and poor soil fertility. Additionally, some of the communities are located remotely from urban centers with little to no access to transportation, making it difficult to reach essential services including health care or markets.
During the lean seasons, when very little food is available, some families will resort to selling assets or find alternative sources of livelihoods. Childhood malnutrition is also high during these times. This project is working with farming households to improve food security by providing starter seed kits, and training on sustainable agriculture methods that work to improve soil fertility and reduce erosion.
The establishment of agroforestry gardens and training are especially focused on improving soil conservation structures. Women and youth groups have also been formed. Activities in women’s groups include nutrition and health training, creating a savings and loans program, and marketing training. Nutrition and health training are also provided to the youth groups as well as training on gender equity and the establishment of kitchen gardens.
In total this project aims to reach 1,474 households (6,980 individuals).