The Lambi Fund of Haiti

Spring 2008 Newsletter — Contents

Haitians Raise Food Locally

Counters rising costs of imports

As he inspected his fields, Guy Cedieu, plantain farmer from Gwo Mon, could no longer deny the obvious. His crops had been struck by the dreaded Black Sigatoka fungus. As it became evident that the fungus had infected several fields, Cedieu, also the coordinator of the farmers' cooperative AGPGM, called for an emergency meeting to discuss the problem. AGPGM members understood that they had to act quickly. The spread of Sigatoka had brought great distress to farming communities throughout the country, with plantain crops destroyed and farmers on the brink of financial disaster.

Once AGPGM members assessed the gravity of the situation, they decided to act quickly. They had heard of new techniques to fight the disease that did not require use of expensive fungicides and they were interested in these strategies. They agreed to approach the Lambi Fund of Haiti to explore solutions to their problem.

Black Sigatoka is a disease which has wreaked havoc throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAO) reports published in 2006, Haiti's plantain production has decreased significantly from 600,000 tons in 1981 to 300,000 in 1994. While some of the decrease has been attributed to failed agricultural policies, the rapid spread of this deadly fungus in the past 10 years has posed serious threats to the country's ability to produce marketable crops of healthy bananas and plantains.

Plantains and bananas are staple foods that represent major dietary sources of carbohydrates, fiber vitamins A, B6 and C, potassium, phosphorus and calcium. They are consumed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are boiled, fried and pounded into banana flour. "Plantains are just as important as rice to the Haitian diet" says Josette Perard, Lambi Fund's Haiti Director, "For Haitians a meal is just not complete if it does not include boiled or fried green or ripe plantains". She adds that when rice becomes unaffordable many turn to the plantain as the main source of carbohydrates.

AGPGM proposed that the Lambi Fund partner with them on a project to increase plantain production using the PIF method. Lambi Fund staff was very familiar with the Sigatoka crisis, having attended several seminars offered by an agronomist from Cameroon where the much lauded PIF method (Plants Issus de Fragments) had been developed.

The Lambi Fund and AGPGM agreed to create a center in Gwo Mon exclusively dedicated to the production of healthy, disease resistant plantain trees. The project would offer educational seminars to AGPGM farmers covering the PIF method and supply them with healthy plantain and banana trees. The Lambi Fund acquired a piece of land in Gwo Mon where they built a seed germinator and a nursery. Lambi Fund has also started construction of a Center for Plantain Propagation which will house a training center and provide office space for Lambi Fund field staff. The Center leased a neighboring field where plantain trees are planted and tested. More funds are needed to complete the construction of the Center for Plantain Propagation. If you want to make a difference helping local Haitians raise food sustainably, make a donation to complete the construction of the Center for Plantain Propagation.

The PIF Method

The PIF Method or the technique of "seedlings resulting from stem fragments" was developed in Cameroon to promote the rapid production of banana and plantain trees. This technique involves harvesting offshoots from healthy plantain trees, the activation of their latent buds and the quick production of large quantities of healthy seedlings in a germinator (a small warm greenhouse). The PIF method does not call for the addition of any hormones, chemicals or artificial fertilizers.

Plantain offshoots are taken from healthy trees, their central bud is distressed with several cuttings, placed in wood chips and left to incubate in a seed germinator for about 40 days. The PIF method makes it possible to produce 15­40 seedlings from one offshoot. Seedlings are then placed in a plastic bag and placed in the tree nursery. Once the seedlings have matured into young trees, they are either planted in the Center's testing field or are distributed to neighboring farmers.

PIF Seminars

Multiple training seminars have been offered to local farmers to promote the PIF method. AGPGM members were the first to undergo the training and there is a waiting list of other community organizations who want to take the training. Participants are also encouraged to experiment with smaller "homemade" germinators to allow for flexibility and sustainability. An agronomist works at the Center to advise the farmers on cultivation.

Healthy trees

One of the major obstacles faced by the partnership involved securing healthy trees resistant to Sigatoka. The first batch of trees acquired from a private nursery did not work because the trees had the fungus. The Lambi Fund staff then secured a healthy disease resistant tree from the Organization for the Rehabilitation of the Environment (ORE). ORE focuses on the protection of the environment and is staffed by botanists and environmental scientist working arduously to produce disease resistant trees.

Impact

The project has had great impact on the region. The farmers who have been trained in the PIF method have been given healthy and disease resistant trees and have not had to endure the hardships of their less fortunate counterparts in the South and in the North. The Center has become a destination for individuals and organizations interested in the PIF method and its application. AGPGM members are now ready to train other farmers and have become extremely knowledgeable about plantain cultivation and plant diversity.

Center For Plantain Propagation - A Best Practices Model

Haiti's violent protests against the rising cost of basic food commodities have compelled government officials and international donors to reexamine the failed policies which have led to this crisis. As they articulate their visions for a revived agricultural sector, the Lambi Fund of Haiti's Center for Plantain Propagation offers a successful model which supports and secures grassroots rural efforts to promote the production of healthy plantains.

The Lambi Fund's objectives for the Center of Plantain Propagation include the completion of the center and the expansion of the training and tree distribution components to include farmers from local and regional organizations. Donate now to make a difference in the lives of Haitians who are trying to live locally and sustainably.