Haïti DEED Quarterly Report – October to December 2009

The project envisions a market-based approach that integrates improved management of lands and other natural resource assets with expanded enterprise and job opportunities in the production of high-value crops. This approach is designed to create livelihood options for hillside farmers currently trapped in poverty. The project targets two watersheds initially – the Limbé in the north and the river systems around Montrouis in the west. DEED creates linkages between natural resource management and livelihood improvements by introducing sustainable agriculture techniques, infrastructure development, and market linkage facilitation. The project employs innovative approaches to mobilizing target communities and producer groups, helping them develop land-use and business plans that protect fragile natural resources while creating employment and business opportunities. DEED works across six integrated technical components, including strengthening community-based producer groups, promoting alternatives to hillside farming, and assisting the Government of Haiti in developing sound natural resource management policies and management systems. The project's key results include a 20 percent increase in household income in target areas, at least 50,000 hectares of fragile land under environmentally sound management, and at least 15,000 households deriving improved livelihoods from sound natural resource management. During the period from October to December 2009, the project made significant progress in various areas. The Kout Lanbi Agrikol SMS-based information service for farmers was launched in the two watersheds, and a major inventory of rural infrastructure was completed in the eight communes that cover the two watersheds. DEED also completed an assessment of micro-finance institutional capacity and potential to extend micro-finance services to producer group members, with recommendations on participating institutions and probable loan product lines to develop. The project conducted an assessment of carbon market credits derived from investments in watershed management and reforestation, which was widely distributed to USAID implementing partners. A draft decree to create a Marine Protected Area was put before the Minister of the Environment for consideration and cabinet action, and a first-of-its-kind Communal Decree in natural resource management was issued by a partner local government for the protection and conservation of mangroves in its coastal areas. DEED also reached its 100% mark in committing grant and PPA funding in support of project activities in concert with its private sector partners. The project presented an important study of the Diaspora community's engagement with agriculture, environmental, and natural resource programs and is now working with other USAID implementing partners to build ways of hosting directly Diaspora investments in its watersheds. DEED signed an MOU with USAID/LOKAL and is collaborating on commune-level capacity building and local planning for natural resource management within the framework of Communal Development Plans. The project's cacao producer strengthening program made tremendous progress in improving the circulation of price information for farmers, significantly raising their farm-gate receipts. DEED used the recently completed land use classification work to complete land use maps for the communes in its watersheds. The project continues to submit regular USAID-format Success Stories for these and other achievements.