Journal of Agriculture
and Environmental Sciences

Agricultural Development in Northern Haiti: Mechanisms and Means for Moving Key Crops Forward in a Changing Climate
Joseph J. Molnar, Senakpon Kokoye, Curtis Jolly, Dennis A. Shannon, Gobena Huluka

Abstract
With a population estimated at about 10 million, Haiti is considered one of the poorest nations in Western Hemisphere. Agriculture is the primary income-generating activity for rural Haitians and contributes up to 25 per cent of the gross domestic product. In Northern Haiti, about 145,000 farm households depend on agriculture. In order to increase the production and improve the level of food security in Northern Haiti, development projects are working to increase agricultural production in five crops (rice, corn, banana, cacao and beans) in the Northern Haiti. Farmers’ Fields Schools (FFS) are used to train farmers and introduce new technologies. Adoption of new approaches and inputs is neither simple nor direct; little consistent extension assistance is offered. Fertilizer and farm chemicals are not available when needed and producers are averse to outlays that they can ill afford. The purpose of this paper is to assess the mechanisms and means that Haitian farmers use to improve agricultural productivity, the double bind of state and market failure, and the role that climate change plays in interventions intended to increase yields. The study leads to several modest conclusions about improving conditions for sustained advancements in food production in an important region of Haiti.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jaes.v4n2a4