Seeding Change in Haiti

A young Haitian tree planter was chosen for the cover of The VF Foundation’s Third Annual Impact Report released last week. Included among the impressive examples of philanthropic support “for the betterment of people and our planet” is a story about the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA) in Haiti, which you will find on page 23. Support for the SFA came via a grant from The VF Foundation to the U.S. based Impact Farming Foundation. 

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Talking About Cotton

Click above for a conversation with the Smallholder Farmers Alliance about the economics of farmer-owned data in connection with growing regenerative cotton in Haiti.

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Breakthrough Agriculture Technology Began in Haiti

Good news from Haiti is an oxymoron at present, but today’s announcement from Smallholder Data Services (see press release below) shines a light on at least one positive story that had its start in the rich farmland near Gonaives. That is where the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA) first set out to find a software solution to help us measure the environmental and social impact of cotton being grown by our members. 

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Food Sovereignty in Haiti – Part Two

This is the second installment of a two-part article. Click here to read part one. 

The gangs running rampant in Haiti have created a blockade that is starving the country. Due to their targeting of the main ports, no ships have been able to dock for more than a month. This spells disaster for a nation that imports around 60% of all food and more than 80% of rice, its most important staple. Adding to the problem is that much of the food already in the country is subject to looting or is unable to be delivered as gang violence and massive protests paralyze the nation. 

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Food Sovereignty in Haiti – Part One

This is the first installment of a two-part article.

Haiti is dependent on food from outside the country, despite being a nation of farmers with tremendous untapped agricultural potential. Now that imported food can’t get through due to escalating gang violence in urban areas, including at the country’s main port, this fragile nation is on the precipice of a major food catastrophe. 

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Leading the Way in Regenerative Cotton

The big story about Haiti remains the chaos in Port-au-Prince, but this is a small story of hope takes us from the nation’s capital to remote farming communities where something remarkable is happening. It is something that many from outside Haiti are closely monitoring because the results will also benefit farmers in other developing countries. 

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New Haitian Comic Book Supershero

From amidst the current tumult in Haiti comes a masterful artistic expression of both hope and entertainment. Artist Thony Loui, who has had to overcome his own challenge of being color blind, created Tanama as a badass supershero who uses her powers to battle a myriad of nefarious characters, both human and alien. In her quest for good, Tanama turns to trees for help. Trees that speak to her, trees that transform into magic portals, and trees that heal. 

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First Major Export of Haitian Cotton in Over 30 Years

Bales of Haitian cotton prior to being loaded onto a ship for export.

A ship left Haiti last week carrying three containers with 29,000 lbs of cotton that was grown (using organic principles), ginned (seeds removed) and baled by members of the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA). This marks the first major commercial shipment of what was the country’s fourth largest agricultural export until cotton disappeared in the late 1980s.

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