AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY

“Feeding our family is a struggle. My husband and I work hard to grow our own food locally, and Agronomist Raphael has been a big help to our family. He teaches our kids at St. Paul’s School and now they love working in the garden and care about the environment too. Raphael helps on our farm as well. It makes a big difference for our family.”
— Wilda Mondesir, Family Farmer, Community Health Aide, and Mother of Three

Over 50 percent of families in Petit Trou self-identify as farmers, and historically agriculture has been the backbone of the local economy. In recent years a lack of investment, along with degradation and deforestation, extreme weather events, and a lengthening dry season has put these livelihoods at risk, creating economic uncertainty and food insecurity.

CHP supports programs at St. Paul's School and with family farms in the community to provide education, structures for cooperation between farms, and access to tools and equipment, promoting better nutrition and economic stability to hundreds of families.

St. Paul’s School Garden Club

St. Paul’s School students in grades 6 through 9 participate in the school gardening club, with the campus garden providing a hands-on, outdoor classroom for learning and experimentation. Students attend weekly club meetings where they learn and practice a range of skills— projects have included planting trees and vegetables, raising rabbits, exposure to the economic potential of agriculture, and developing simple water catchment systems. Agronomist Raphael visits every student’s home at least twice per year to advise families on how they can help their children integrate the knowledge and skills learned at garden club into the family’s farm. Families are also incentivized to plant and protect trees at home through a program that provides tuition rebates (for those families that are able to pay St. Paul’s small tuition) to plant and care for trees. This initiative alone has led to the planting of over 1,100 trees in the first six months of the program. CHP-funded agronomy scholarship students, Jameson and Schneider, assist Raphael and support the student garden activities during university holidays.

Family Farm Support Program: Community-owned seed bank, animal husbandry co-ops, farm consultations and access to equipment, tools, and trainings

In addition to Raphael’s work with St. Paul’s School, he supports and manages a variety of community-based initiatives aimed at supporting family farms in the area. 

  • Raphael has recently begun work with community-based animal husbandry co-ops, starting with two small communities in Petit Trou with plans to expand support to directly benefit over 200 families by the end of 2020. 

  • Over 100 smallholder farms receive regular consultations with Raphael to troubleshoot gardening challenges, provide recommendations, and share the most up-to-date knowledge and information on farming techniques. These family consultations also help Raphael understand the local needs in the community, and to then organize group trainings on the common issues faced by families. 

  • In 2016, CHP supported a community-led response to Hurricane Matthew, focused on providing access to seed for key staple crops to allow farms to replant quickly. This was done in close coordination with local market men and women, to carefully avoid undercutting local markets.