Overview

Agricultural productivity in Haiti has systematically declined in the last three decades.  A shift to annual cropping on steep slopes has caused erosion and exacerbated flooding that affects the slopes, as well as productive plains areas.  The magnitude of flooding has increased, water supplies have become much more erratic, and both lives and livelihoods are under threat.  At the same time, ground water levels in the plains have dropped substantially due to growing urban demand, and water has become increasingly brackish as seawater replaces what used to be fresh water.
 
Feed the Future West (FTFW) is a multi-sectoral program that aims to increase incomes in two USAID development corridors―Port-au-Prince and Saint-Marc―through agricultural intensification, rehabilitation of rural infrastructure, support to post-harvest operations, and good governance of natural resources, FTFW improves the livelihoods of targeted farmers.  To reach these objectives, FTFW brings together farmers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), agribusinesses, and government actors to comprehensively increase productivity and post-harvest efficiency, and improve the management and protection of the corridors’ key watersheds. FTFW uses a value chain approach for focus crops in the productive plains.   
 

Objectives

The purpose of FTFW is to implement broad-scale investments in agriculture in order to make selected productive plains more competitive.  FTFW aims to promote agricultural intensification, sound natural resource management, and a modern post-harvest and marketing system.
 

Activities

  • Increases agricultural productivity through market-driven access to inputs (seeds, fertilizers, tools), technologies, and water;  
  • Improves watershed stability by supporting sustainable hillside agriculture, erosion control, tree planting, and watershed governance;
  • Strengthens markets by improving rural transport infrastructures, the market information system, and post-harvest operations; and
  • Establishes public-private-producer partnerships (PPPPs) and leverages these PPPPs for the majority of watershed interventions.
  • In May 2014, FTFW closed out all major activities, but was extended until February 2015 to complete the construction of a permanent diversion structure on Rivière Grise that will provide more than 10,000 farmers of the Cul de Sac Plain permanent access to irrigation water and will also mitigate potential flood damage.
 

Major Achievements

  • Seven Rural Centers for Sustainable Development (CRDDs) established, which provide agricultural research, training, and extension services;   
  • 119 percent increase in household income of farmers assisted by the project in targeted areas;
  • More than 7,000 farmers trained, of which 3,127 certified master farmers, including 30 percent women; 
  • Improved access to inputs (seeds, tools, fertilizer), technologies and irrigation water for more than 69,500 farmers;
  • Significant increase in agricultural yield with respect to baseline: rice (141 percent); corn (413 percent), bean (100 percent); plantain (56 percent); 
  • More than 300 “Chanpyon” associations and five cooperatives, regrouping more than 100,000 farmers, set up and strengthened;
  • 373 greenhouses distributed to more than 40 farmer associations, benefiting more than 15,000 farmers and helping reduce pressure on degraded hillsides; 
  • Distribution of post-harvest materials to farmer associations, including 267 silos, 2,753 mobile fruit collection centers, 3,000 crates, 5,643 batches.
  • Installation and operation of an agricultural packing center and a fruit processing center; and
  • 75 percentage increase of mango exports from FTFW-assisted farmers.

Additional Information

Budget: $127 million
Life of Project:  June 2009 – February 2015
Implementing Partner: Chemonics International