PAST REPORTS

The objective of this report is to provide project PAER participants and implementing partners with an entry point for understanding the production and marketing strategies among the targeted beneficiaries, to detail programme activities and expected outputs and outcomes. There are some 700,000 women, men, and children in the Department of the North West and the commune of Anse Rouge. The majority live perilously close to the nutritional margins of survival: by international standards, 23% of their children are chronically malnourished; 10% are acutely malnourished (CNSA 2014). The irony of their situation is that they live in territory that was once part of the most productive agricultural colony on earth: French Saint Dominque. Yet, today--after 45 years and over US$100 million of production-targeted interventions from the international development agencies and the Haitian Governments -- they practice the most rudimentary productive technologies (see Schwartz 2009). There is no electric grid in the region; preciously little water; roads and transport are such that that it is far easier and arguably less expensive to ship merchandise to urban Port-au-Prince from Miami--715 miles away--than from the target region-- less than 100 miles away. The opportunities to raise income through market access is clear and present. But in economically intervening on the behalf of these farmers, indeed in seeking partnership with them and encouraging them to elevate their own investments in remunerative market access enterprises, it is critical that we understand how they have survived thus far.

Ce rapport est le résultat d’une étude commissionnée par l’IBESR sur les enfants placés en institutions en Haïti. En collaboration avec le bureau régional de l'UNICEF pour l'Amérique Latine et les Caraïbes (TACRO) et avec le soutien de la Commission Interaméricaine des Droits de l'Homme (CIDH), l’IBESR souhaitait conduire une étude sur la situation et les conditions de placement des enfants dans les institutions de type résidentiel, sur leurs antécédents familiaux et sur le point de vue des enfants et des familles. L’étude comporte une revue de la littérature extensive, des recherches qualitatives auprès des directeurs des centres et des agents de protection de la jeunesse, ainsi que quatre études quantitatives, composées des questionnaires suivants (voir annexes pour les questionnaires complets)...

The idea of Frequency Lists comes from the Freelisting technique used in Cultural Consensus Analysis (Romney et. al. 1986; Borgatti 1992). The technique is designed to document categorical knowledge, usually among non-literate people whose folkways are little known outside their living group. For example, a researcher may wish to learn about the types of local foliage rural Haitian leaf doctors use to concoct herbal remedies. The researcher would ask a sample of leaf doctors to give the names of plants they use. The questions are typically asked of 20 to 30 respondents. Responses from the sample of respondents are then correlated. Those plants mentioned often, for example, by more than 5 respondents, are accepted as part of the semantic category of ‘plants Haitian leaf doctors use to make herbal remedies.’ Although the technique is simple in its conception and application, statistical analysis yields a depth of information. The more frequently an herb is mentioned the more commonly we can assume Leaf Doctors use it. A correlation in order of responses—mentioned first, second, fifth-- suggests the importance of a particular item, in this case a plant or leaf. Further analysis can be done with the results to uncover relationships between different herbs.

This report describes baseline data collected to help assess Root Capital’s impact on coffee production in one of its target regions of Haiti. The survey focused on farmers in the Savannette-Baptiste area of the Departement du Centre. Most of the respondents were members of cooperatives working with Root Capital (n=151); some were not (n=52). The data offers a comprehensive picture of production levels, income from coffee, preferred tree varieties, tree planting and maintenance, inputs, and other key coffee growing practices of coop Members. Responses from Non-Members provide a basis of comparison that is critical to establishing meaningful baseline performance indicators. These indicators will allow Root Capital to evaluate changes in cultivation, harvesting, and processing practices, as well as income and other factors, in follow-up and endline surveys.

The research presented in this document was commissioned by CRS as a baseline for the project, “Creating Alliances In Cocoa For Improved Access And Organization In Haiti.” The project was designed and funded by the International Development Bank with the goal of developing Haiti’s long experience and potential as a regional cacao producer and bring increased revenues to the estimated 200,000 producing families engaged in cacao production. Specifically the project will work through existing cooperatives to, 1) Strengthen institutional support to producers and connections among producer groups 2) Improve producer exposure and access to training in cultivation and post harvest processing strategies and technologies 3) Improve access to finance and credit instruments 4) Increase access to new local and overseas markets The target areas are Haiti’s two principal cacao growing regions, the s Department of the Grand Anse (communes of Chambellan, Dame-Marie, Anse d’Hainault and Irois) and the Department of the North (communes of Borgne, Port-Margot, Grande Rivière du Nord, Acul du Nord and Milot). CRS estimates that in the Grand Anse there are 4,000 small farmer households who produce cacao and 3,000 in the North.